Has he returned?
by Kin Siofra
Summary: Feliciano has met up with a man who he thinks is his lost love. However, making friends with the new transfer student from Germany isn't easy.
1. Chapter 1

_I remember him as though it were only yesterday. Sometimes, I feel as though he didn't even exist at all because I haven't seen him in so long and, through these years, I have grown more and more. I do have no idea about him though. The person I really want to see is him, but even now I can't even recall his name because it's been so long. As a child, I was always mistaken for a girl and I believe he did as well, but I'll never actually know now since he is no longer here. As I aged, it still wasn't very hard for people to mistake me for a girl sometimes but I really didn't care._

_Everyday I may go up to a pretty girl exclaiming, "you're so very beautiful! Would you like to have lunch with me?" I knew I didn't mean those words as much as I should have. My first love was the only person I actually wanted to be with, but I also knew that was impossible. Already I'm in high school and I still haven't met him. I had almost given up hope until I met "him."_

-Entry in Feliciano Vargas's Journal-

0-0-0

The sun was shining brightly in the sky as a young man walked down the streets, greeting all the pretty girls that he saw on the street. Most of them would blush and giggle at being greeted in such a manner by the boy, but others just stared at him and thought he was weird. It didn't matter to the young man though since it was normal for him to get rejected sometimes.

"Ciao Belles!" he would exclaim before waving at them as though his arm was flailing around on its own and wasn't attached to anything.

"Ohayoo... Feliciano-kun," a young, and rather short, man greeted the other with a bow as the man came up. The auburn haired man, Feliciano, stopped and looked at the raven haired man that was there, smiling brightly before he ran over and hugged him.

"Buono Giorno Kiku!" Feliciano exclaimed. Of course, this close contact made the shorter one, Kiku, blush. Even though he had known the Italian since they were in middle school, being hugged like that wasn't something that he was used to. "It's so good to see you~ I missed you over the summer~"

"Ah... I-I am very sorry," Kiku apologized as he blushed more when Feliciano started rubbing their cheeks together. "I-I was in Japan over the break..."

"Ve~ It's alright Kiku~ You have family back in Japan still, si~?"

"Hai..."

"I'm just glad to see you again is all~"

"I see..." Feliciano finally released Kiku from the tight hug and brightly smiled down at him. Even though it _was_ Feliciano, Kiku just couldn't get used to being hugged like that and, especially, that quickly. It was as if Feliciano could teleport and just suddenly hugged him. That's what it felt like to him anyways.

"Ve~ Shall we go inside~?" Feliciano finally asked his Asian friend who nodded in reply. The Italian nodded back and the two walked inside. It was lucky for them that they got to class when they did since the bell had stopped ringing the minute they got into the classroom. Feliciano sighed with relief before noticing the large figure near the window in what used to be an empty seat. As the chocolate honey eyes focused on the figure more, he noticed that the man had slicked back blond hair and sky blue eyes along with a large figure to begin with, which he figured was probably from working out so much.

However, the one thing that _really_ got Feliciano's attention was the way the man looked. Not in figure but rather the face. Feliciano's shook a bit as he continued to stare at the new male that was in the room.

_C...Could it be him..?_ Feliciano asked himself in thought but was distracted when the door opened and the teacher walked in. The young Italian quickly walked over to his seat and sat down, slightly looking behind him at the man who was putting away the book he was reading. Feliciano shook his head before looking back in front. _I'll... ask later..._

That single thought was the only thing that kept Feliciano going through class. He needed to find out if it was him or not. If it was, then he could finally tell him the words that he had been wanting to say for a long, long time.


	2. Chapter 2

The bell rang, indicating the ending of the class which only made Feliciano sigh. He had been trying to work up the courage to talk to the new student, but whenever he tried he would just run away scared from how he looked at him. Kiku walked over to his friend with a confused look on his face.

"Feliciano-kun, are you alright?" the Japanese man asked with concern. The Italian looked up at his friend before his head dropped with a sigh.

"Si... I just never got up the courage to ask something of the new student..." Feliciano replied.

"Oh? Why did you need to talk to him?"

"Just... I-It's nothing..." Feliciano didn't really want to tell Kiku about it. Truthfully, Feliciano had never told _anyone_, not even his own family, about the incident from his childhood. Sure, his family _had_ known about the boy, but all of them seemed to have forgotten about it so he didn't really bother to worry about it much after that.

"Are you sure you do not wish to talk about it?" Kiku asked, still concerned about his friend who looked rather depressed for the cheerful person he normally was. Feliciano nodded in reply. "Would you like me to help you talk to Ludwig-san?"

"Huh?" Feliciano looked up at his friend with confusion. "You know him?"

"A bit. We were paired up in a study session in 5th period today. I talked to him and it turns out that he will be joining the newspaper club."

"R-Really?" Kiku nodded in reply. "Ve... You wouldn't mind if I came to the club to just... t-talk to him?"

"Of course not," Kiku replied with a gentle smile. "Today we are only going to be seeing what new members will be joining, so it is perfectly fine with me."

"Ve...~" Feliciano seemed to cheer up at bit at this and nodded as he stood up, grabbing his back pack. "Let's go then..~" Kiku nodded and the two headed out of the classroom and down the hall. By this time, the halls were pretty clear of students. Most of them had already gone to club meetings or just went home.

However, as the two walked into the newspaper room, the only person who was there was the new student, Ludwig. Of course, this made Kiku completely and utterly confused. Just last year there were several students, including himself, in the club. He didn't think that all of them were seniors.

Ludwig looked up from the papers he had been looking at as the two walked in. "Hello," he greeted the two.

"Hello Ludwig-san. Are you the only one here?" Kiku asked, hoping that it wasn't true. However, the nod of the German's head was enough for him to softly sigh. "Did any one else happen to come in here as well?"

"A few..." Ludwig replied. His thick German accent showed through rather well as he spoke. "They all said that they were going to quit though. Most of them wanting to do something else and others because they said they can't handle the work load."

"I see..." Kiku looked down before shaking his head. He knew that the newspaper club needed at least three members in order to keep it going but now it was only him and Ludwig, meaning that it wasn't going to have a budget to go off of and, therefore, will be forced to close down for the year.

That's when the though came to him and the Japanese man turned towards Feliciano, almost pleading with his eyes that the Italian would help out a little.

"Feliciano-kun... may I ask you a favor?" Kiku softly asked, looking up at his friend. Feliciano tilted his head in confusion as he let out a soft 've' in reply to what Kiku was going to ask him. The Japanese man took a deep breath before looking at Feliciano with all seriousness. "Will you consider joining the newspaper club as well?"

"W-Why... w-would you want me?" Feliciano asked a bit shyly, avoiding Kiku's chocolate eyes.

"Well... we need at least three people to be able to keep this open... and I figured that, since you really do not have anything better to do after school, you would consider joining so we wouldn't have to close it down for the year."

"Ve... Well..." Feliciano looked to Kiku and then to Ludwig who seemed as though he didn't care one way or the other. Feliciano's gaze then fell on Kiku again, seeing the pleading expression the Kiku was giving him. The Italian knew that this club meant a lot to his Japanese friend since it was the only thing that could keep Kiku busy. Feliciano knew that he didn't have any family here with him like he did.

Feliciano was silent for awhile as his gaze fell upon Ludwig before looking down at Kiku once more. "Okay..." Feliciano finally said after the long silence that he had given his friend. Kiku seemed to brighten up as Feliciano said this.

"Thank you very much Feliciano-kun. I promise you will not regret it." Feliciano nervously laughed before looking over at Ludwig again who was looking back at the two of them. The German finally stood from his seat and walked over to the two.

"Then it's just the three of us?" he asked. Kiku looked over at Ludwig and nodded.

"Yes. Just the three of us."

"I see."

"I hope you do not mind that."

"No.. I don't know..."

"I am glad," Kiku replied with a gentle smile as he walked over to the table and set his backpack down. He opened it and pulled out a few papers, setting them on the table. "Well then, I shall need you two to sign these to make it official."

Ludwig and Feliciano nodded in unison and walked over to the table. Ludwig was the first one to write his name down on the paper before Feliciano did so as well. Once that was done, Kiku took the papers back and stood from the chair he had sat in.

"I shall go take these to the club advisor," he commented. "I will be back." With a small bow, the Japanese man walked out of the room and left Ludwig and Feliciano by themselves. Of course, once again Feliciano got nervous when Kiku left. He was alone with Ludwig now and could ask him the question he wanted, but he was still too scared to do so.

The Italian glanced over at Ludwig who had returned to reading his book before looking away again.

"Why do you keep looking at me?" Ludwig asked, looking over at Feliciano with his stern expression. Feliciano's stomach jumped as he heard Ludwig say that, thinking he wasn't being obvious enough for Ludwig to notice him.

"I-I was... just curious to what you were reading," Feliciano lied as he felt the butterflies in his stomach getting a bit worse.

"I see... I'm reading the pages from the book that we have for homework."

"Oh.. I-I see..." Feliciano gave a nervous laugh as he looked away, fidgeting in place. He didn't know _why_ asking Ludwig a simple question was so hard. Was it because he really thought that it was 'him'? Or was it just because the German looked rather scary to begin with? Feliciano's eyes looked over at Ludwig again before looking back down. No, it wasn't because Ludwig was scary, he was just scared to ask anything and sounding stupid.

"So... d-do you come from Germany?" Feliciano finally asked after a long silence that lingered between the two.

"I do... You come from Italy, correct?" asked Ludwig.

"I-I do. Is it nice in Germany?"

"I think so, but there are people who think differently than I do."

"I see." Feliciano could feel that he was getting a bit more comfortable being around Ludwig. "I heard there's pretty mountains there, is that true?"

"It is..." Feliciano smiled happily.

"Ve~ Really? I wish I could see it~" Ludwig sighed as he looked over at Feliciano.

"Is that all you ever do is talk?" asked the German. The Italian nervously laughed as he fidgeted a bit.

"How else are you supposed to get to know someone?" he asked with shimmering eyes.

Ludwig stared at Feliciano before looking back at his book. "..what's the point in that?"

"Ve?" Feliciano was obviously confused by the question as he tilted his head to the side for further indication. "...how else are you supposed to be friends with someone?" Of course, this question caught Ludwig off guard and he nearly dropped his book. Feliciano could see the red hue appearing on the German's face.

"...friends...?" Ludwig softly asked, not even looking at Feliciano but also not reading his book. Feliciano's eyes shimmered more as he watched Ludwig become rather shy all of a sudden.

"S-Si~ Friends~" Feliciano replied with a large, happy smile on his face. He could feel his own cheeks heating up as he continued to stare at the brawly German in front of him. The way the German acted reminded him of the one he had fallen in love with so long ago. Ludwig was silent for awhile before closing his book and picking up his bag.

"It's not worth having friends..." Of course, this comment made Feliciano's eyes widen as the German headed for the door. "I'm leaving for the day... I have things to do..." with those final words, Ludwig walked out of the room.

Feliciano just stared at the closed door. He didn't really understand what had happened, but he felt as though Ludwig had hated him. The Italian looked down and let out a shaky sigh, sounding as though he was going to cry but he didn't. Feliciano shook his head and stood up himself, picking up his bag.

_Does Ludwig not want any friends...?_ Feliciano asked in thought sadly as he walked towards the door. He didn't want to leave without saying something to Kiku, but Feliciano also didn't want to wait inside a room by himself. So, after leaving a note for his Japanese friend, he left and headed back home.

It made Feliciano sad to know that Ludwig wouldn't want to make friends, especially when he was going to be in the newspaper club but Feliciano didn't worry about that right now. With another sigh, Feliciano straightened himself out with a new determination in his eyes.

"I'll help Ludwig see that having friends is worth it..." Feliciano whispered to himself as his fist clenched to further show the determination building up inside of him. Feliciano smiled happily as he was actually excited about wanting to do something. With that on his mind, Feliciano walked all the way home with a small bounce in his step.


	3. Chapter 3

Feliciano looked at the clock on his desk and sighed. It was already late and he still hadn't finished his homework. The Italian had spent most of the time in his room trying to figure out how he was going to get Ludwig to understand that having friends wasn't a bad thing. Feliciano softly sighed.

"Feliciano! Time for dinner!" he heard his grandfather call from the stairs.

"Coming!" Feliciano called back. He gave another soft sigh before standing up and walking out of his room. Feliciano stretched as he walked into the kitchen and found that his brother wasn't there. "Hm..? Where's Lovino?"

"He said he has a test coming up next week and wants to be ready for it," a man replied. He was tall and rather handsome, not to mention he looked rather young for the age that he was at. Feliciano nodded to his grandfather and started eating the pasta that was made for dinner. Sometimes he wondered if Lovino was really studying sometimes.

"Hey Grandpa?" Feliciano finally said after a long silence had settled between the two as they ate. The man looked up and looked across the table to his grandchild.

"Yes Feliciano~?" he chimed with a happy smile.

"Um... I was wondering if you could help me with something?"

"And what would that be?"

"Well... I want to be friends with a new transfer student... b-but he seems like he doesn't want any... I-I was wondering what I should do..."

"Hm..." the older man thought about this as he took a bite of his pasta and looked down at his plate. "Well, that's really up to you. He may just not want any because he's a loner, or he could have some other reason. I can't really help you."

"O-Oh..." Feliciano sighed and looked down. He really had hoped his grandfather would have been able to help him out with this, but it seemed as though he was going to have to figure out a way to do it himself. The rest of the time he was eating, Feliciano was thinking of different ways he could get Ludwig to be his friend. It was a hard thing to accomplish when one doesn't know a lot about the other. Maybe that's where Feliciano needed to start? Ask Ludwig more about himself before he could figure out how to be friends with him?

Feliciano sighed as he headed up to his room once he was finished eating. That seemed to be the only answer he got but he also realized that Ludwig probably wouldn't _want_ to share anything with him after what happened that afternoon. The Italian flopped down onto his bed, burying his face into the pillow. How could someone not want friends?

Just thinking something like that was upsetting to Feliciano. The Italian wouldn't know _what_ to do if he had to go through life without a friend. That's when it hit him. Had Ludwig never had a friend before? Was the German _scared_ to make a friend? Feliciano sat up in his bed and stared down at his pillow, eyes wide with the revelation that a burly German like that could be scared of something.

_Is… Ludwig scared to have a friend? Is that why he acted like that?_ Feliciano continued to ask himself. _If that's true… then I'll just have to do my best!_

Feliciano smiled happily before changing and getting under his covers. Now he knew what he needed to do. He never would have thought something like that could be true. With this in his head, Feliciano drifted off to sleep.

0-0-0

"Ciao Kiku!" Feliciano greeted with a hug as he came into the newspaper room. Once again the Japanese man blushed, patting the Italian on the back. Kiku knew he should probably be used to it since Feliciano did this to him every time they saw each other, but it was hard for him to get used to it.

"Hello Feliciano-kun…" Kiku greeted back. "Can you please release me now? I-It is time to start the first meeting of the club…" Feliciano smiled and released him, sitting down at the table letting out a happy yet soft 've' and swung his legs back and forth. Kiku sat down as well and opened the small folder he had in front of him. "I have prepared a short list of the tasks that each of us will do."

Kiku handed out the papers to Ludwig and Feliciano before looking back down at the others. "Also, our supervisor has been changed as well," the Japanese teen continued to say. "Instead of Łukasiewicz-san, Kirkland-san will be our advisor. However, since he is also the advisor of a few other clubs as well, we will be working on our own for the most part."

Ludwig nodded, understanding everything that Kiku was saying. Feliciano on the other hand was clearly confused but he didn't say anything. The Italian just made it look like he knew what was actually going on.

"So," Ludwig finally said after a few moments of silence. "These are the tasks assigned to us, but how much are we going to be issuing each month?"

"I have yet to figure that out," Kiku replied. "Since we do not know how each other works, I figured that we would work on a small section and see how long that will take us and then calculate it based off of that. I am hoping we can get out an issue out every two months."

"I see…" Ludwig looked back down at the paper again before looking back up. "What were you planning on starting with this issue?"

"I have not yet decided…"

"I see… how about just interviewing a few people and asking them what club they're planning on doing?"

"I suppose that could work, though it would be fairly obvious what they would be in if we did it now."

"…That's true…" Ludwig replied as he looked back down, trying to think of other articles that they could write. Feliciano, meanwhile, was staring at the sheet that was in front of him, seeing his name under the 'artist' section of it. He didn't really understand what kinds of things he would be doing, but he figured he'd ask Kiku about it some other time.

"Well, we still have a week to figure what we wish to report about," Kiku commented. "So, we can just think about it and then we can talk about it when we do." Ludwig nodded as he saw Kiku stand up. "Forgive me, but today I must leave early. So this will be the end of the meeting for the day."

"Alright." Ludwig and Kiku began gathering up their things, Feliciano following a few minutes later. The three walked out of the school before Kiku went his separate way from Ludwig and Feliciano, making the Italian a bit nervous to be alone with the German.

The two walked in silence for a while before Felicicano spoke up. "Ve… L-Ludwig?"

"What is it?"

"W-Well… I was wondering… um…" Feliciano swallowed a lump in throat as he tried to form the words that he wanted to say. "I-I was wondering… w-what do you like to eat?" Of course, Feliciano mentally slapped himself for that question since it wasn't the one he wanted to ask. Though, it would probably be a bit of an ice breaker now that he thought about it.

"Why do you want to know that?" Ludwig asked, raising a brow to display his confusion on the matter. Feliciano swallowed again as he fidgeted a bit as the two continued to walk. Great.

"I-I was just wondering… I-I like cooking and… I-I wanted to try to make some things… b-but no one wants me to c-cook anything for them… s-so I just thought…"

"I see…" To Feliciano's surprise, Ludwig seemed not to mind that response. "Well… I like eating wurst…"

"Ve?" Feliciano was confused by what that was. Sure he had heard of it before, but he hadn't actually seen or eaten it himself. "Wurst?"

"Ja…"

Feliciano couldn't help but giggle a bit at that. "Is that it~?" he asked, seeming a bit more comfortable again, especially when he saw Ludwig blush.

"…I also like sauerkraut… and some potato-based dishes…"

"I see~ Ve~ Do you mind if I tried to make some German food and then bring it in for you to try~?"

Ludwig's blush deepened more as Feliciano asked this question, making him slightly look away. "…I-I suppose so… if you really want to get better at cooking different foods…"

Feliciano's smiled widened more as he heard this. His chocolate-honey eyes seemed to even glim. The Italian was really happy to hear that Ludwig would do that.

"Ve~!" Feliciano screeched a bit as he hugged Ludwig. "Grazie~ I promise I'll do my best so you can like it~" Ludwig blushed even more, gently pushing Feliciano away from him.

"D-Don't hug me…"

"Ve… S-Sorry…" Feliciano apologized. He had just been so happy that he hadn't realized what he was actually doing. It's not like him and Ludwig were friends at the moment, so he shouldn't have done that. "I-I just got excited…"

"It's fine…" Ludwig cleared his throat. "I go this way…" he headed off in the direction of his house. Feliciano waved to him and watched him for a moment before he smiled again. The Italian then started skipping towards his house. He felt like this was bringing him a step closer to being friends with the German. He wondered if he really _could_ get Ludwig to be his friend. Even though Feliciano was nice, he didn't have as many friends as others would think.

There was Kiku who was his friend, Antonio, Roderich, and even Elizaveta were his friends, but that was it. He didn't really have any other friends than that. If he could get Ludwig to be his friend, then that would make the Italian really happy. That's when he began to think again. If Ludwig had never had a friend before, then how did the German get through life? If it were him, Feliciano couldn't have been able to deal with that. He would have been crying every night and wondering if something was wrong with him if he didn't have any friends.

_I'll definitely make Ludwig my friend!_ Feliciano thought, more determination filling his body. With a nod, Feliciano quickly ran to the bookstore, picked up a cookbook, and went home. With a new goal in mind of how to make friends, Feliciano went straight to work.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**I'm trying to make this as long as I can. But, for now, I may have to wait until school is out (which is pretty soon) before I update anymore. But... we'll see~ ouo**

**Enjoy~**


	4. Chapter 4

Ludwig looked at the Italian standing in front of him up and down, seeing that Feliciano looked as though he had just gotten into a fight with someone. However, the German could also tell that Feliciano wore a smile despite that fact. Ludwig, however, wondered what on Earth could have happened to him. It had only been an hour since the two last saw each other and now Feliciano looked beaten and bruised.

"Ve~ I made some of that German food Ludwig~" Feliciano chimed as he presented the container to the burly man in front of him.

"…What happened to you Feliciano?" Ludwig asked, taking the container from the Italian's hands.

"N-Nothing!" Feliciano replied defensively, trying to act as though he was perfectly fine but failing miserably at it. "I-I just fell down outside during gym is all." Ludwig's eyes narrowed a bit, not believing the Italian at all but decided to let it slide for the time being. Already it had been a week since he got there and Feliciano was _still_ bugging the German man more than he wanted. The Italian nervously laughed as he laced his fingers behind his back. "So… um… t-tell me what you think so I can get better… Ciao!" Feliciano waved to Ludwig before running back down the stairs from the roof.

Ludwig stood there for several minutes before looking down at the container in his hands, wondering what Feliciano could have made for him to try. It wasn't like he needed it since he had his own lunch, but he also didn't want to be rude. Of course, this time, it actually worked out to his advantage as he saw a platinum blond haired man come running up to him.

"Lud!" the man exclaimed before practically hanging off him. "I-I forgot my lunch! Share with me!" Ludwig sighed, shaking his head before handing that lunch he had brought to him.

"You can have mine bruder…" Ludwig replied. "But you really need to learn to bring yours Gilbert…"

"Kesese! You're the best Lud!" the albino man exclaimed before noticing the other container in Ludwig's hand. "Where'd you get that?"

"…Feliciano…"

Upon hearing this, a smirk tugged at Gilbert's lips. "Ah? Whatever for~?"

"He said he wanted to try cooking different foods but no one is willing to help him…" Ludwig replied. "That's all…"

Gilbert frowned. "I see… Well, I get food so! Kesese! See ya Lud!" the man waved to his little brother before running off. Ludwig sighed. His brother really could be annoying sometimes but he knew his brother meant well. Most of the time anyways. Ludwig sighed as he sat down and started eating.

0-0-0

"Ve… K-Kiku…" Feliciano softly said, laying his head on his desk as he looked over at his Japanese friend that was sitting down next to him. "I don't know how to make Ludwig my friend… I-I made him some food because I said I wanted to learn to cook knew things… b-but I don't think that's going to do much…"

Kiku placed a gentle hand on his friend's back, giving a small, gentle smile. "You just have to believe Feliciano-kun," he commented. "I am sure that he is just someone who has trouble making friends is all. Do not give up, alright? I am sure he will be your friend if you really want him too." Feliciano sat up a bit.

"R-Really? D-Do you really think that Kiku?"

"I do. After all, you got me to be your friend even though I was rather reserved back then." Feliciano stared at his friend before smiling and hugging the Japanese man.

"Ve~ Thank you Kiku~ You're the best friend anyone could have~"

Kiku blushed as he patted Feliciano's back. "I-I am glad you think so…"

"I'm glad you're my friend~"

"Yes… I am glad I am your friend as well, Feliciano-kun." After a few more seconds, Feliciano finally released Kiku and sat up straight in his seat. "Are you alright though, Feliciano-kun?"

"Hm? I am, why?"

"Well… you have a few bruises. Did you get bullied again?"

"Oh… um… m-maybe…" Feliciano softly mumbled, slightly turning his head to keep from looking at his Japanese friend. Kiku softly sighed, nodding in understanding. He didn't want to press further into the matter since he knew how to sense the mood and this was one of those times that he should just remain silent on the matter.

"Kiku?" Feliciano asked after several minutes of silence. The Japanese man looked over at the Italian curiously.

"Yes?"

"Um… is it okay if I skip club today?"

"…I do not mind, but may I ask why?"

"I-I have my reasons…" Feliciano mumbled in reply. Kiku looked at his friend before nodding.

"Alright." Kiku looked back ahead when the teacher walked into the room. He had noticed that Ludwig had entered not too long before that. The rest of the day went on without any problems and, soon, school was over for the day.

Feliciano walked down the street towards his house, softly sighing. He hadn't realized how tired he was that day. Not having slept much last night probably hadn't been the best idea the Italian ever had, but he had wanted to make the food for Ludwig the best he could. Feliciano yawned as he stopped in front of his house. He stood there for a moment before walking into the house.

"I'm home…" Feliciano softly said but no answer was given. The Italian walked into the kitchen, finding a note. The minute he saw the handwriting, he knew it was his grandfather's.

'_Be home late.'_ Was the only thing that was written on it. Feliciano softly sighed and walked up to his room, laying down on his bed.

"Guess Lovino will be at Antonio's again…" Feliciano buried his face into his pillow. He really didn't like to be at home alone. It scared him more than anything else. The Italian sighed again before drifting off to sleep, completely exhausted.

When he woke up again, Feliciano could smell the intoxicating aroma of food coming from downstairs. He yawed, rubbing his eyes and looking over at the clock. It was already 7 o'clock. He had been asleep for four hours already. Feliciano yawned again before getting up and slumping to the door. He slowly opened it before hearing voices downstairs, both that he recognized easily.

"Ve… Fratello brought Antonio over…" Feliciano softly said, yawning again and heading down the wooden steps. Even though the house from the outside looked rather old, the inside of the house looked as though it had just been built so the stairs didn't creak as Feliciano walked down them.

"Aw~ It's so rare for Lovi to cook for me~" Antonio chimed happily.

"I never said you could stay!" Lovino yelled, making Antonio laugh.

"Then why did you say I didn't have to go~? Did you really mean that or just trying to tease me~?"

"Eh… um… W-Well…" Antonio laughed again. "S-Stop laughing you bastard!"

"Sorry Lovi~" Feliciano arrived in the kitchen, seeing Antonio sitting at the table while he saw his brother at the stove which was very rare to see. "Ah~ Hola Feli~"

"Ciao Antonio," Feliciano greeted with a sleepy smile before he looked over at his older brother. "Ve…. Fratello, when did you get back?"

"About an hour ago…" Lovino replied, looking over at Feliciano. "Y-You… okay though?"

"Ve? Si, why?"

"You were passed out on your bed… just… wondering…" Lovino slightly moved a strand of his dark auburn hair behind his ear as he turned back to cooking.

"Oh…" Feliciano smiled at his brother. Even now it was rare for Feliciano to see Lovino's caring side, but it made the younger Italian extra happy because of those rare moments. "Si~ I'm fine Fratello~ Grazie~"

"W-Whatever…" Feliciano could see a faint red ting appear on his brother's cheeks, making the younger Italian softly laugh at this before walking over and sitting at the table.

"Ve~ Are you staying over Antonio~?" Feliciano asked the Spaniard.

"Hm… I might," Antonio replied. "That is if Lovi wants me to stay~" Antonio looked up at Lovino with a smile, making the older Italian blush.

"I never said you could stay the night!" he exclaimed, setting down three plates of pasta. "I-I only said you didn't have to go for now!" Antonio laughed again, picking up his fork.

"Si, Si~ I understand Lovi~" Antonio replied, starting to eat. Feliciano looked between the two before he started eating as well. The younger Italian was always surprised when Antonio didn't seem to mind Lovino yelling at him. Even Feliciano would get scared of his own brother sometimes when he yelled like that. He wondered why Antonio was able to stand his brother more than he was.

Feliciano slightly shook his head, deciding to ignore that factor for the time being. He figured he'd find out what it was all about some other time. Once Feliciano was done eating, he stood up and, as if it were planned, the phone rang. The younger Italian blinked with a bit of confusion before walking over and picking up the phone.

"Hello?" he asked before a small smile appeared on his lips. "Ve~ Ciao Grandpa~" Of course, that smile was only there for a moment before the Italian frowned. "Oh… okay… be careful, okay? Ciao." Feliciano hung up the phone before sighing, looking down at the floor.

_Grandpa is going to be gone for a while again…_ Feliciano thought as he walked up the stairs, softly sighing once he reached the top. Most likely Antonio was going to be spending the night, which meant that Feliciano would be all alone. He knew his grandfather was busy with work, which was a common occurrence lately. However, his brother could at least spend some time with him.

Feliciano shook his head as he closed the door to his bedroom once he was in it and walked over to his desk. He might as well do his homework since there wasn't anything else to do. Of course, instead of actually doing his homework (which he knew he _should_ be doing) the Italian took out a cookbook, setting it down on his desk.

'_Traditional German Recipes'_ was the title on the book. It was a nice, hard cover book that looked as though it had just been bought. The letters of the title and author were in a golden color with an almost cursive like font. The only letters that were displayed for the author were _'A.B.'_ Feliciano figured that was just a penname since the author didn't want to anyone to know what his real name was, but he was also curious on what the initials stood for. There were too many names that could have a and b in them.

Feliciano shook his head. He shouldn't worry about that right now. He slowly opened the red and white covered book and started looking through it, seeing which recipe he would be making next. Even though he didn't know how his first ones came out, he decided to look for what he would make next if Ludwig liked what he had made for him.

"Ve~ I really hope Ludwig will be my friend~ He looks… kind of lonely…" Feliciano stared down at the book, frowning. The Italian really started thinking more and more of why Ludwig wouldn't have any friends. The German _seemed_ nice enough to him, even if he did look like he could hurt someone with the muscles he had and the serious look he always made. Something told Feliciano, however, that Ludwig was actually really nice and someone who could be easy to talk too, if Feliciano ever found the courage to actually _think_ of something to talk about.

Maybe that's what he should do? Try to come up with things to talk about? Though, now Feliciano had to think of something that he could talk about with the German. What _did_ Ludwig like anyways? Feliciano sighed. Of course he wouldn't know something like that, he didn't even get to know Ludwig before he started all of this. Or at least as much as he needed to in order for him to think of something to talk about with the German.

That's when it clicked. Ludwig looked as though he liked to read, maybe Feliciano could find a book to read and then talk to Ludwig about that? Or, even better, he could ask Ludwig what kinds of books are good to read. _That's_ what Feliciano could talk to Ludwig about!

"Yay! I can talk to Ludwig now!" he exclaimed out loud, standing up from his chair and flopping onto his bed. The Italian laughed and smiled as he buried his face into the pillow. "Ve~ I'm so excited to learn about what Ludwig likes to do~ I hope he won't be mad if I do ask him though."

Feliciano looked down before sighing and then shaking his head. No. He couldn't let himself get depressed so easily like that! He had to keep his spirits up and running if he had a chance of succeeding. With those final thoughts, Feliciano got into his boxers and fell asleep. He really hoped this plan would work.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**Oh look... an update... FINALLY! XD**

**Yeah... just got around to finishing this chapter, finally.**

**Also~ I want to say thank you to all my supports/watchers! To the new and old ones~ I really feel so happy to have so many~ X3**


	5. Chapter 5

Feliciano tapped his pencil against his thumb as he stared out the window, not paying attention to the teacher as he spoke. English wasn't one of Feliciano's favorite subjects in the first place, but he also knew he _should_ be paying attention as well. He hadn't seen Ludwig all day and it was starting to bug him on what the German thought of the food he had made. The Italian softly sighed, looking down at his notebook which had no writing on the two pages that it was opened too.

"Feliciano-kun…" Kiku whispered, trying to get his friend's attention. Feliciano blinked before looking over at his Japanese friend.

"Hm?"

"MR. VARGAS!" a loud, British voice boomed. Feliciano jumped and looked towards the front of the class where a man with a punk style haircut and blonde hair. The man's emerald green eyes seemed to be piercing into the Italian's skull. "Is my class really so boring that you must space out!"

"Ve… N-No… I'm sorry Mr. Kirkland…" Feliciano softly replied, looking down.

"Don't let it happen again, understood!"

"Yes… I understand…"

"Good!" The teacher gave Feliciano one last glare before he went back to the lesson, looking down at the book in his hand. Feliciano listened to his teacher talking again, even though the British man scared him. From what the Italian could tell, Mr. Kirkland was reading a poem from Edgar Allen Poe from what Feliciano could hear. The Italian wasn't paying much attention still but he had remembered that this was a poem he had heard just last year from another teacher, so he didn't really _need_ to pay much attention in the first place.

Feliciano's mind wandered for the rest of the day and not once did he see Ludwig in any of the classes that they had together. He walked to the newspaper club with his Japanese friend and they entered, but the German transfer student _still_ was not present. The only thing in the room was a piece of paper with rather neat handwriting on it.

Kiku walked over and picked it up before nodding and taking out the items needed for the club. Kiku always had a date book on when someone showed up and when someone didn't. Feliciano could tell from Kiku's reaction that the note was from Ludwig and that it was saying he wasn't going to be in today. Knowing that dampened the Italian's spirits more; not knowing what Ludwig thought of his cooking made his heart sink.

Feliciano blinked in confusion when he thought about it. Why was he so upset? It's not like him and Ludwig were actually _friends_ at the current moment. The two of them were just classmates who happened to talk once in a while. So why did Feliciano feel the need to want to cry? The Italian shook his head and pushed that aside for the time being.

"Are you alright, Feliciano-kun?" Kiku asked, a bit of concern present in his voice. Feliciano blinked and looked over at his friend as they sat at the table.

"Ve… I'm okay," Feliciano replied with a small smile. "Why?"

"You seem as though something is troubling you is all."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Feliciano nervously laughed, blushing a bit. "Oh… I-I wasn't trying to make you think that… I was just thinking is all…"

The Japanese teen seemed rather surprised that Feliciano would be thinking so hard about something at a time like this. Sure, spacing out was the Italian's specialty, but never spacing out while he was thinking. He had never seen Feliciano thinking so hard in his life unless he was stuck on a problem on his homework.

"Well, since there is not much we can accomplish today without Ludwig-san, why do you not head home for the day?" Kiku suggested to his friend. Feliciano blinked in confusion.

"Really..?"

"Yes. I was planning on going home early myself because of this."

"Oh. Okay." Feliciano smiled to his friend and picked his backpack back up and then stood up. "Ciao Kiku~" he waved to his friend before walking out of the club room and then darting off down the hall.

0-0-0

"Ludwig!" Feliciano chimed as he saw the German in the club room after school the next week. The Italian immediately ran over and slammed into the Ludwig, causing the two to tip backwards and slam into the ground.

"W-What?" Ludwig asked, surprised by this reaction and a heavy red color appearing on his cheeks. He had _never_ had someone do this before and, frankly, he found it a bit embarrassing.

"Ve…! Y-You're okay!"

"Well… yes, why would you think something different?"

"W-Well… you weren't here for an entire week so I thought something bad had happened to you…"

"Nothing happened to me. I just had some things going on is all…"

Feliciano blinked in confusion, wondering what could have been so important that Ludwig would have to skip school for a whole week. Not that it seemed to matter much since Ludwig was smart and, from what he knew, the German had all straight A's in his classes.

"Now will you get off of me," Ludwig commanded with the blush still present on his cheeks. Feliciano nervously laughed and quickly got off of Ludwig, blushing a bit himself. Ludwig picked himself off the floor before setting the chair back up and sitting down in it. Feliciano sat down in another chair and Kiku sat down as well and their club meeting began.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know it's not very long, but I actually don't really know what I was going to do in this one so, I just did a little something. Hope you still enjoy it anyways~**


	6. Chapter 6

Feliciano stared at the book that he had gotten and softly sighed, staring down at the open pages. He wasn't entirely sure what they said since he wasn't really reading it, but his mind was clouded a bit. A month had passed since Ludwig had come to the school, but Feliciano still wasn't able to be his friend yet. The Italian felt as though he was close to it though. Felt that he just needed to push a bit more before he could be his friend.

Feliciano, however, felt that his attempts were different than his normal ways of trying to get friends. Was it because Ludwig looked like _him?_ The Italian sighed as he laid his head on the table and stared out the window of his room, seeing the leaves starting to fall to symbolize the beginning of autumn. No. Feliciano knew it wasn't because Ludwig looked like him. Ludwig was different from the person he knew as a child. Sure, Ludwig was just as shy as the boy he knew, but there was _something_ that was different from the two. Of course, the poor Italian had _no_ idea what that was.

"FELICIANO!" an angry voice yelled from downstairs. Feliciano immediately sat up and looked towards his door, hearing stomping from the stair case. It was only a few seconds before the door was slammed opened and his brother stood there, a look of fiery on his face.

"V-Ve… what is it Fratello?" Feliciano asked a bit nervously, not liking the look on his brother's face.

"The hell is going on Feliciano!?" Lovino growled. "What's going on between you and that… that potato-bastard!?"

"Ve? Who are you talking about Fratello?"

"That _guy_ you keep trying to make your friend!"

"Oh~ You mean Ludwig~" Feliciano chimed with a smile.

"Yes! HIM! What's really going on between you two!?" Lovino screamed, slamming his fist against the door frame.

"I'm just trying to make him my friend…"

"Like hell you are!"

"B-but I am! I-I just want… t-to be…" Tears filled Feliciano's eyes as he looked down, shaking a bit. Feliciano stood up and pushed his brother out of the way, running down the stairs. "I HATE YOU FRATELLO!" Feliciano ran out the front door, slamming the door behind him. Lovino stood there, flabbergasted. He had never heard his brother say that to him before. Even when Lovino was horrible to Feliciano, his little brother never complained at all.

"…stupid little brother…" Lovino mumbled, looking down before going to his room.

0-0-0

Feliciano sniffled as he sat at Kiku's kotatsu table. Kiku walked over and set down a cup with water in it in front of Feliciano before sitting down next to his friend.

"So, you got in a fight with your brother?" Kiku asked to clarify that he had heard the Italian properly.

"Yeah… Lovino doesn't understand that I just want more friends…" Feliciano commented.

"Perhaps he is envious?"

Feliciano looked over at Kiku with a confused expression, not understanding what his friend meant by that. "What do you mean?"

Kiku took a sip of the tea he had set out for himself before looking back over at Feliciano. "Well, if I recall your brother does not have many friends, correct?" Feliciano nodded in reply. "Then perhaps he is envious of you that you can make friends rather easily compared to him and, therefore, does not wish for you to do so more."

"But… Fratello's never complained before now… So I don't think it's that…"

"I see." Kiku took another sip from his cup before setting it back down and looking at his friend once again. "Perhaps it was something about Ludwig-san that your brother does not like?"

Feliciano looked rather confused as he heard the Japanese man say that. "Ve? Why wouldn't he like Ludwig? It's not like he's a bad person or anything."

"I would not know, but that is just a guess after all. Ludwig-san does look rather intimidating when one does not know him well. We have just had the chance to get to know him because of the newspaper club."

"Ve…. I guess that's true…" Feliciano took a long drink from his cup, the cool water trickling down his throat. Feliciano set his cup down, smiling a bit. "But… I don't care what Fratello thinks. I _want_ me and Ludwig to be friends more than anything right now~"

Kiku smiled as he heard his friend say that. He looked down into his tea cup before looking back up and giving one of his most genuine smiles. "Well the, I wish you the best of luck with that."

"Grazie Kiku~"

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><p><strong>AN: Oh look. Another not very long chapter ^^; Sorry for the shortness again! I haven't been able to do much with writing lately because I've been so busy. But I hope to at least update every once in awhile...**


	7. Chapter 7

"A party?"

"Uh-huh~"

Ludwig looked at the invitation that was given to him by Feliciano. The German wasn't entirely sure what to make of being invited to a party, especially since he had never been invited to one before. Pools of blue stared at the decorative card. Even though he never thought that Feliciano would have good handwriting, he was proven wrong. The handwriting was rather beautiful in his opinion, maybe even better than his from the looks of it. The invitation itself was bordered with a gold trimming from a pen that made different designs in the corners.

Ludwig then asked, after several moments of silence, "Why are you inviting me?"

"Because, even if you don't think of me the same way, I still think of you as my friend so I want you to come~" Feliciano blushed a bit, feeling as though he had just confessed his feelings of love to the burly German man. He didn't know why he would think of it that way, but he did anyways.

"I see…"

"I-If you're worried about all the people, you shouldn't." Feliciano slightly looked away from Ludwig as he said this. Even if he didn't know Ludwig as a person, he just had a feeling that the German didn't like going someplace like a party with a lot of people. "It's going to be a rather small one."

"…How small?" Ludwig asked, finally looked up from the invitation to look at the Italian standing near him. Feliciano blinked and flushed a bit deeper red than before.

"Well… me, you, Kiku, my brother, and three others."

"I see…" Ludwig looked at the invitation once more before picking up his bag and placing the card inside of it. "I'll think about it." Feliciano stared at Ludwig for a moment before he smiled widely. Feliciano was ecstatic at hearing that reply from him. If he were a dog at the moment, his tail would be wagging like crazy at that moment. Before when Feliciano asked Ludwig to go with him somewhere, the German would simple (and bluntly) answer 'no' and the conversation would drop right there. However, this time, the Germany was actually going to give it some thought before actually answering him.

Feliciano nodded once the final bell rang for the start of class to start. Something told the Italian that this was going to be a good day, not matter what.

Of course, by the time the end of the day came, Feliciano had been right. He had felt so happy that nothing got him down. Not even when Mr. Kirkland yelled at him for not studying what he was supposed to, it didn't get him down. Yup. All in all it was a _wonderful_ day for the Italian. As he skipped into the newspaper room, the other two members looked over at him.

Kiku smiled a bit with amusement as he straightened out the papers that were in front of him. "You are in a good mood, Feliciano-kun."

"Ve~ I am, I am~" Feliciano chimed cheerfully, sitting down in the seat between Ludwig and Kiku before he looked over at his Japanese friend. "Hey Kiku~ Did you find out if you could come to the party or not~?"

"I did," Kiku replied as he looked over at Feliciano. "It is alright but I will have to leave early since I have a flight the next morning."

"Oh… You're going back to Japan again?"

"I am. It has been some time since I last saw my family."

"oh… Okay~" Feliciano finally said before hugging the Japanese man suddenly which, in turn, made the short man blush a bit. "Yay~ Kiku's coming~"

Seeing the excitement on his friend's face made a small smile appear on the Japanese man's lips. It was hard to be mad at someone who was so energetic, or that's what Kiku thought anyways. It was also good for Feliciano to be in high spirits since Kiku knew that the Italian had been having problems with school most of the semester. The Japanese man remembered how Feliciano was struggling with homework and the newspaper club and he also remembered how Feliciano had to inquiry Ludwig to be his tutor in most of his classes. So, after all that struggle the last few months, it was nice to see him smiling and being himself again.

After a few moments of long (and slightly awkward silence) Kiku cleared his throat. This, in turn, made Feliciano pull out of the hug and sit back in his seat properly. Once the Japanese man knew that he had the attention of his other two club members, he spoke.

"Well, seeing as how finals are next week and there is not much else to do, I have decided that this will be the last day of this club's meeting for the semester. I am actually quite surprised at how well the newspaper club has been fairing with just the three of us. So, I shall just make a few, brief statements."

"Ve…" Feliciano softly said, sounding rather disappointed at hearing the fact that this would be the last meeting for the club for a long while. It meant that the Italian would have to spend a long time after school doing nothing. Sure, he didn't do a lot when it came to the newspaper club, but at least he had been doing _something_ after school. Yes, he missed the siesta club, and he missed the art club though it wasn't much fun when you're the only person there, but he was still saddened. It made Feliciano sad that there wasn't going to be anymore clubs for the rest of the semester. Feliciano shook his head, knowing that he couldn't think of it like that. There was always next semester to look forward to after all.

"Is that all?" Ludwig asked, snapping the Italian out of his thoughts as he looked over at the other two at the table.

"Yes, that is all I have to say," Kiku replied, making Feliciano realize that he had completely spaced out what Kiku had even been saying. He hadn't meant to do that but his thoughts had kept his busy during the entire time. "We shall resume the club on the second week of the new term."

With a nod of his head, Ludwig stood up and grabbed his bag. Once he had everything inside of it, he closed it up and slung it to his back. "Then I'll see you two," he stated before walking out of the room. Feliciano watched as the German's large figure vanished through the doorway, leaving just him and Kiku alone.

"I shall be going as well," Kiku commented as he starting placing his things into his pack as well. Feliciano blinked before looking over at his Japanese friend.

"I-It's over already?" he softly asked, feeling a bit ashamed that he hadn't paid more attention to the conversation that was being said.

"Yes, it was just a short meeting today," replied the Japanese man as he stood up himself. "I shall see you at your party, Feliciano-kun." Kiku gave a small smile once again before he excused himself from the room with a small bow. Once Kiku was done, Feliciano sighed and gathered up his things before leaving as well.

0-0-0

The rest of the school year seemed to go by in a flash. Finals were already over for the last day and all of the students were rather relieved about it. Feliciano stretched at his desk and sighed, letting out a soft 've' in exhaustion. He hadn't slept much because he was studying late every night to prepare for his exams. He looked around the room and saw that both Kiku and Ludwig were already gone. He had wanted to say bye to them, but he knew that they had finished long before he did. Feliciano knew that Ludwig and Kiku were smart and always got good grades. The Italian looked down as he realized that, if Ludwig thought of him and Kiku as friends, that it was a strange combination of friends. Ludwig and Kiku were smart while he wasn't. Ludwig and Kiku were both serious when it came to being serious and he wasn't. Truthfully, Feliciano didn't fit in.

The Italian stood from his desk and grabbed his coat and backpack before walking out of the room, being the last one to do so. He got outside and headed home with his brother, the two having decided that they would go back home together. However, it was more than just a pleasant time walking towards the house in the cold.

"I can't believe that you invited him!" Lovino yelled, glaring at his younger brother in frustration.

"B-But… he's my friend…" Feliciano softly said, feeling as though he was going to cry from his older brother yelling at him. It wasn't anything new since Lovino yelled at him when he was upset or angry with something, but Lovino had never gotten on him about his friends before so it was new for him being yelled at for it.

"If he's your friend then why don't you hand out with him!?"

"I-I do… during club…"

"That's _not_ what I meat!"

"B-But you said-"

"I meant at lunch or before school starts and stuff like that!" Lovino retorted.

"O-Oh…" Feliciano softly said, looking down at the white snow below his feet. "Um… well… Ludwig likes to study during those times so…"

"If he was really your friend, he'd hand out with you then too!" Lovino looked ahead again and huffed. "I don't even know what you see in that… that potato-bastard!"

"Po…tato?" Feliciano asked, seeming rather confused on why his brother would give Ludwig such a weird name.

"YES!" Lovino screamed. "Stop seeing him before I force you not too!"

"B-But… I…"

"DO IT!"

Tears welled up in Feliciano's eyes as he stopped walking, making Lovino stop as well and looking behind him at the younger Italian. "I don't want too… I don't want too…"

"How come!?"

"Because… I-I don't have very many friends… and… I-I like Ludwig and want him to be my friend s-so…" The salty tears fell from Feliciano's eyes as he clenched his school bag. "I want… Ludwig to be my friend! I hate you Lovino!" The younger Italian turned around and ran off.

"Ah! Feliciano! Get back here!" Lovino yelled, though it was too late since Feliciano was no longer in sight. The older Italian sighed, knowing that he had gotten a little carried away with what he had said. That also meant that Lovino would be scolded by his grandfather for letting Feliciano run off without saying a word because of him.

"Damn it…" Lovino softly sighed out. "I fucked up again…" With that being said, Lovino turned back around and headed towards the house once more, trying to think of someway that he would explain to his grandfather that Feliciano wasn't with him. That was something he was _not_ looking forward to.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh look~ Another chapter update after so long XD**

**Yeah... I've been writing it down on paper lately and then typing it down. I have started school once again [Bleh DX] but I will try to update as regularly as possible, though I can't guarantee anything since it _is_ only the beginning of the semester. ^^; So. anyways, hope you enjoy.**


	8. Chapter 8

Feliciano ran through the snow covered streets as tears fell from his eyes. He hated his brother so much at the moment that he didn't even want to go back home right now. He couldn't understand why his brother wouldn't want him to be friends with Ludwig; it just made no sense to the young Italian man. As Feliciano took a turn, he slid and slammed into the cold, hard ground. He shook a bit before pulling his hands out of the snow. The cold stung his slim fingers, making his hands start to go numb ever so slightly. Feliciano whimpered as he looked around for his gloves in his school bag, but he couldn't find them at all.

_I must have left them at home,_ Feliciano thought as he stood up and stuck his hands into his pockets. He could feel his fingers burning with pain and being stabbed from the numbing effect that was befalling his hands. Feliciano sighed as he went back to walking, slowly this time since he didn't want to fall down again. _Stupid Lovino… so what if I'm friends with Ludwig? He's just a friend._

The Italian softly sighed as he shook his head, not understanding the things his brother thought about sometimes. Sure he had lived with his own brother for a long time, but the two really didn't seem to understand each other at all. It made it even harder for the two brothers to be close to each other.

The more Feliciano walked the colder it got and the more Feliciano wished to be inside the comfort of his home, but he didn't want to go back since his brother was there as well. Feliciano looked around before sitting down on a bench, shaking a bit since it was only getting colder and colder and his hands were still numb. He sat there, trying to stay warm but it was no use. The cold was making him drowsy and he couldn't move very well. Feliciano's eyes slowly closed, blurring the surrounding area more and more until everything went completely black.

When Feliciano woke up, he felt himself in someplace warm. A place a lot warmer than his own home sometimes. Everything was hazy to the Italian, making it hard for him to even know where he was at the moment. The ceiling was a hazy brown color, different from the one he was used to seeing when he woke up, and the bed he was in was a little harder than the one he was used to sleeping in every night. Feliciano's mind raced before the blinking he was doing finally made everything come into focus. He could see the dark brown ceiling above him that made almost a point at the highest portion. As he sat up, he saw that the room was very clean and organized. The dresser that sat in front of him was a light oak color and nothing sat on top of it. The mirror that it was attached to seemed to sparkle from how clean it seemed, and the floor looked as though it had just been vacuumed to perfection.

"Ve…?" Feliciano softly breathed out as he tried to figure out where exactly he had been taken too, but it only took him a moment to actually start freaking out. "VE!" the Italian flung the covers off of him and stood up, looking around for his shoes and jacket so he could flee from this alien place. If he had been kidnapped, he didn't want to hang around for when his captor came back but he couldn't find the items he was looking over.

_Fratello!_ Feliciano exclaimed in thought as he shook heavily, scared to death at the moment. He was in an unknown place and he couldn't find his things so he could go home. Feliciano sniffled as he sat back down on the bed, tears slowly started to fall from his eyes. If only he hadn't fought with his brother then he would be at his house enjoying the comfort of his family, but now he was kidnapped and probably never going to see his family again.

However, the Italian was snapped out of his thoughts as a bark came from the bedroom door before it sat down in front of him. The dog was a lovely golden color and had dark brown eyes. Feliciano blinked, rubbing his eyes before looking over at the man standing in the doorway. Chocolate brown eyes widened with surprise as he saw who it was. Sky blue eyes looked down at him and the man's blond hair was slicked back. It was someone he recognized right away, but he also felt as though he was seeing wrong as well.

"L…Ludwig…?" Feliciano softly asked, his voice cracking a bit in the process.

"Ja?" the German man than asked as he walked over to the bed before the sight of the Italian crying caught his eye. "Are you alright Feliciano?" Feliciano stared up at Ludwig for a long time, not seeming to believe that he was in front of him. After a few moments, Feliciano slammed into Ludwig, hugging him and crying heavily into the German's chest.

"L-Ludwig!" Ludwig seemed rather caught off-guard when Feliciano did this, making it hard for him to know what he was supposed to do. The German man stood there, completely unable to deal with what was currently happening. To him, Feliciano had just started crying for no apparent reason, but to Feliciano it was a sign of much relief. Ludwig looked around a bit before he patted Feliciano's head as a sign of comfort.

"D…Don't cry, alright?" Ludwig said, trying to be as comforting as possible but didn't really know how else to help. Feliciano nodded but still couldn't seem to calm down enough to _stop_. After a few moments, Feliciano pulled away and rubbed his soggy eyes and wiping his runny nose. Ludwig sighed as he got a tissue for the Italian. "Now why were you crying?"

Feliciano sniffled before he started speaking. "W-Well… I-I woke up and… and then I found myself in t-this room… a-and I didn't know where I was… s-so…" Feliciano blew his nose. "S-So I thought I had been kidnapped…"

"I see…" Was all Ludwig said but understood more of the reason for the shorter man's outburst. To him it was a little weird to freak out like that, but he also knew that he was different from Feliciano when it came to certain situations and, therefore, couldn't really say much about it. Ludwig then patted Feliciano's head again. "You don't need to worry… I'm pretty sure it could have been worse if you were kidnapped…"

"O…Oh…" Feliciano felt a bit comforted by that since he knew Ludwig was smart. He was glad to know that Ludwig was trying his best to comfort him, making the Italian blush because of it. "S-So… is this your house?"

"Ja. It's my house," Ludwig replied as he started to fix the bed. "I found you passed out on a bus bench so I brought you here since I didn't know where you lived."

"Oh…" Feliciano softly said before looking down. He had completely forgotten the fact that he had fallen asleep in a place like that. "Ve… T-Thank you for helping me…" Ludwig looked over as Feliciano said that. "I-I mean… you didn't have to, a-and you kind of look like one of those people who doesn't really feel the need to help someone… so… t-thank you…" Feliciano felt his face getting warmer as he spoke, not knowing the reason _why_ he was feeling so embarrassed about it.

Ludwig himself couldn't help but blush a bit as he heard Feliciano say that, though he was a bit insulted by the fact Feliciano thought he wouldn't help anyone. "You're welcome…" Those were the only words Ludwig said before he finished making the bed. Feliciano looked over a bit before looking away again, not really knowing what to say anymore to his German friend. It was then that Feliciano felt something cold against his hand, making him pull away and look down at the golden retriever that was sitting there, wanting his attention.

"V-Ve… L-Ludwig… is this your dog?"

"Ja, why?"

Feliciano adjusted himself so he was standing in front of the dog more than he had been before. "Is he nice?"

"She's nice. You can pet her if you want." Feliciano looked over at Ludwig for a moment before he knelt down and slowly reached his hand over to the dog. After a few moments of hesitation with his hand above the dog's head, Feliciano placed it on top and started petting her. The minute that happened the dog's tail started wagging like crazy, happy that the new friend of his master was petting her.

"V-Ve~" Feliciano smiled as he continued to pet the dog. "What's her name~?"

"Aster." Ludwig walked over to the door before looking over his shoulder at Feliciano. "Are you hungry or thirsty at all?"

"A little of both~" Feliciano replied, enjoying his time petting the dog in front of him who started licking his face. Feliciano giggled as that happened. "S-Stop doggy..~" he giggled more as the dog lapped at his ear before stopping and walking over to Ludwig.

"Come on then," Ludwig stated as he walked out of the room. It took Feliciano a moment to compose himself before he stood up and trotted after the burly man. "I'll take you home after you eat, alright?"

"Okay…~"

Feliciano felt really flattered that Ludwig would walk him home. Not only that, the German would let him eat before he did so as well. Feliciano felt his face heat up more as he continued to follow his German friend. The Italian stopped walking and stood there, staring at the ground. This feeling was the same exact way he felt when he was a child. When he had feelings for _him_. Feliciano's eyes widened a bit. Did he really think of Ludwig in such a fashion? Was he in _love_ with Ludwig?

Feliciano shook his head. How could he _just_ realize this feeling? Sure he had felt this feeling a few times while with Ludwig, but he thought it was just from the happiness of Ludwig wanting to be his friend and nothing more. The Italian looked up as he stared at Ludwig's back as the German continued to walk.

_Do… I… D-Do I like Ludwig..?_ Feliciano asked himself. _Do I like Ludwig… like I did _him_?_ Feliciano looked back down again. If he did and he told Ludwig… would Ludwig hate him again? Feliciano didn't want that. He didn't want Ludwig to hate him again like when they first met.

"Um… L-L-Ludwig?" Feliciano softly asked, causing the German to stop and turn towards him.

"What is it?" Ludwig asked.

"C…Can you… just take me home p-please? I-I don't feel well…"

Ludwig raised a brow. "If that's what you want me to do." Feliciano nodded in reply. Ludwig handed Feliciano his coat, shoes, scarf, and backpack before he pulled on his boots, jacket, and scarf. He then grabbed his house keys and opened the door, allowing Feliciano to walk out of the house first before he followed after. Feliciano made sure to stay in front of Ludwig the entire way as they walked.

The minute they got there, Feliciano looked towards the German but didn't look at him directly in the eyes. "Um.. T-Thank you for walking me home Ludwig… I-I'll see you…" Before Ludwig had any time to speak, Feliciano went inside and closed the door.

"Feli?" the voice of his grandfather reached his ears, making Feliciano look up just as his grandfather walked out of the kitchen. "It is you. I was worried about you."

"V…Ve… I-I'm sorry…" Feliciano apologized, slightly looking away. The Italian man blinked in confusion, surprised to see that Feliciano wasn't acting like his normal self. Normally his grandson would be happy and hug him when he got home, but it was completely different this time.

"Is something wrong?"

"N-No…"

"Feli-"

Feliciano quickly made his way towards the stairs. "S-Sorry Grandpa… I-I'm just not feeling well… I-I'm going to go to bed early…"

Hearing this made the man frown. Feliciano never turned down dinner before, not even when he was feeling unwell. "Feliciano… you sure nothing's wrong?"

"S-Si…" This was the last thing that Feliciano said before he walked into his room and closed the door behind him, leaving his grandfather downstairs with a really confused look on his face. The elder Italian man knew that this was something that not even Lovino did. No. He knew that something was going on with Feliciano that had nothing to do with Lovino. He walked over to the phone and picked it up, dialing a number as his face became rather serious.

"Ciao. It's Julius. I need to ask you a favor."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm finally done with this chapter. I actually had a little fun with writing this chapter, but I don't know when I'll get the next chapter out.**

**Thank you for being so patient with me when it comes to writing my stories. It's hard when I have to do work for school and what not.**

**Hope you enjoyed~**

**Also, I'm sorry that I don't really reply to the reviews. It's a little hard for me to do so at the moment, but I'm happy that you guys are enjoying the story so far~**


	9. Chapter 9

"Feliciano, are you going to come down or not?"

"M….Maybe in a minute…" Feliciano replied as he sat on his bed, having been in there for the last week. Lovino sighed as he shook his head.

"Well you better hurry up and take a shower! It'll start soon!"

"I-I know…" Feliciano heard his brother walk away from his door, allowing the Italian to sigh. He really didn't feel like going to the party they were having anymore, but he knew he shouldn't let down his friends either. Feliciano sighed again and slowly stood from his bed before he walked into the bathroom. Once he was done taking a shower, the Italian got dressed and fixed his hair before going downstairs and into the living room where he found his brother and Antonio.

Frankly, Feliciano was envious of the two. Only inside of the house or somewhere that no one could see did Lovino and Antonio actually act like a couple. Of course, this was the main fault of Lovino since he was the one who didn't want to express himself where people could see him. Feliciano wanted what they had now that he knew his real feelings towards Ludwig. He wanted Ludwig to hold him and kiss him like Antonio was doing to Lovino at the current moment. Feliciano looked down as he continued to wonder if Ludwig would ever accept him as anything more than just a friend or another classmate.

"…li?" a voice asked, cutting the thoughts that Feliciano had. The younger Italian looked up to see Antonio looking at him with a sympathetic look in his eyes. "Are you okay Feli?"

"Um… n-not really…" Feliciano mumbled in reply. "I'm… not feeling very well…"

"Hm… if you're not feeling well then you should go to sleep," Antonio commented. "I can tell your friends that they can go home because of it. I'm sure they'd understand." Feliciano just stared at Antonio before looking down again. It's true that that would happen, but Feliciano also didn't want to wait to see Kiku and Ludwig until the next semester.

"N-No… it's okay…. I'll be okay…" Feliciano walked off to the kitchen, feeling like he needed something to warm himself up and to lift his spirits. Antonio watched as Feliciano left before looking down at Lovino who was currently sitting in his lap.

"Is Feli really okay?" Antonio asked, clearly worried since the Italian was never really depressed all that often, and even when he was it wasn't for long.

"How the fuck should I know?" Lovino asked, looking down at his hands. "He's been like that since we had our fight. Even though we made up and everything…"

"Hm… you don't suppose it's about something else, do you?"

Lovino looked up at the Spaniard with a confused look. "What would it be about?"

"Hm… well… maybe he likes some pretty girl and he's worried that she won't return his feelings?"

"You think that would be it?" Lovino asked, sitting up a bit as he heard Antonio say this. "You really think there's a pretty girl he likes?"

"Maybe~ I mean, he wasn't like this before school ended, right~?" Antonio asked, making Lovino nod in reply to it. "Well~ now it's the break and he can't see her~ He must have gotten kind of scared to tell her what his feelings were~"

Lovino blinked, surprised by Antonio's answer. "You can be an idiot sometimes but… I think you have a point… Feliciano never _was_ the type to tell someone his feelings for them. Sure, both of us flirt with girls, but that's just what we do…"

"Ah~ I'm jealous of those girls you flirt with in school Lovi~ Makes me jealous that you don't so something like that to me in public~"

"S-Sh-Shut up!" Lovino yelled as his entire face went completely red. "I…It's-s-s-s j-just in s-s-s-school! Y-You…" Lovino began mumbling at this point, making Antonio lean in more and place his head on the Italian's forehead.

"What was that~?" the Spaniard asked with a smile on his face.

"i…I s-said… y-you know… m-my real f-f-f-feelings…" Lovino said a bit louder. Antonio smiled and kissed Lovino on the lips.

"I know my love~ but I still wish you'd show me more attention in public~"

"S-Shush…"

0-0-0

Feliciano found himself standing in the corner of the room with Kiku standing there with him, though he was hardly enjoying himself at all. Feliciano refused to speak with Ludwig at all, forcing the German man to hang around Lovino and the others. Of course, Kiku was rather concerned by his friend's behavior and, therefore, refused to leave the Italian alone even when he was asked not to hang around him.

"Feliciano-kun, please tell me what is wrong," Kiku said, trying to be as gentle as possible but also wanted to try to get to the bottom of things.

"I-I don't… want to talk about it Kiku…" Feliciano softly said, staring into his cup. "Please just leave me alone…"

"I will not… I told you that I will not leave you alone. Besides, the only other person I know here is Ludwig-san and he does not seem to want to talk much either. I am also worried about you as a friend." Feliciano was silent, making Kiku softly sigh. "Does this… have to do anything with Ludwig-san?"

Feliciano jumped a bit as he looked at his Japanese friend, a bright red blush quickly appearing on his cheeks. "V-Ve…? Um… w-well… um… H-How…?"

"It is rather obvious, or at least it is to me."

"I-Is it?"

"Yes. Feliciano-kun, you keep glancing up to Ludwig-san from time to time and then sigh. You then take a drink and repeat this process as though you are trying to figure something out."

Feliciano nervously laughed. "K-Kiku really is smart…" He took a sip of his drink before sighing again. "I-I just… don't know what to do…"

"You like him as more than a friend, correct?" Feliciano nodded. "Then you tell him how you feel. The worst he can do is say he does not like you back and you can move on with your life, yes?"

"I-I know… but… I-I don't want him to stop being my friend… W-What if I scare him off because of it a-and he stops being my friend a-and…"

"I see…" Kiku took a sip of his own drink as he contemplated what Feliciano had said. He could understand Feliciano's reasoning more now that he had heard that, but he still believed that Feliciano was just being a little paranoid about the entire thing. He didn't speak this though, knowing that Feliciano would just freak out more. "Perhaps trying to act like yourself for the time being would be the best course of action."

"Ve… but…"

Kiku looked over at his friend, giving one of his rare and gentle smiles. "It will be alright. As long as you are yourself then everything will be alright. I am sure everyone would rather you be happy than not." Feliciano blinked as he looked down at his friend before softly smiling and nodding. He knew Kiku was right. He shouldn't get so depressed about things just because he's confused or scared. He just had to be himself until he could actually say something.

"Ve~ Thank you Kiku~" Feliciano chimed, hugging his friend. "I think I feel a bit better now~" he pulled away from the Japanese man before he walked over towards Ludwig to apologize. "Ludwig~"

The burly German looked over as Feliciano took his hand, smiling happily up at him. A soft blush appeared on Ludwig's face before he spoke. "What is it?"

"Ve~ I just wanted to say I'm sorry for being mean when you got here~" Feliciano chimed, blushing a bit himself as he realized that he was holding the German's hand. "I-I mean… ve…. I-I was just working something out and… um…"

"I understand… don't worry about it…"

"R-Really?"

"Ja…" Feliciano stared up at Ludwig before smiling and hugging him.

"Ve~ I'm glad~" Feliciano released the German and the party continued. Of course, throughout the night Feliciano learned quite a few interesting things. One of Antonio's friends was Ludwig's brother Gilbert. It was especially surprising to him since the two didn't really look all that alike. Sure they had a few similarities, but not many. Another thing that happened was that Feliciano made a new friend (which was Gilbert of course).

Once the party came to an end, Feliciano felt a lot better than he had before. Sure Ludwig and Kiku had to leave early, but that didn't mean they didn't have fun. However, when Kiku had left, it had been a little awkward for Feliciano to really talk to Ludwig all that much. Feliciano still had a good time though. The one thing that didn't make it all that fun, however, was seeing his brother glaring at Ludwig as though he were a criminal. Feliciano didn't try to ask though, knowing his brother would probably just yell at him again for it.

Even after all of that, Feliciano couldn't fall asleep for two more hours. When he did, it seemed as though he wasn't even dreaming at all. Something about the dream had made it seem so real to him, so life like. He didn't know why but that's just what it had been. The sun wasn't even the thing that woke him up the next day, and it wasn't even late morning yet either.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**Le gasp! What is this? Another chapter?**

**XD Yes, another chapter has been uploaded~ X3 The next chapter I'm going to try to work _real_ hard on so it's awesome and epic! ouo;**


	10. Chapter 10

Feliciano felt his entire body go numb as he heard the news from his older brother. Everything felt as though it was coming to a slow halt and that it was falling. Just to hear the news was upsetting enough. He shook his head as tears flowed down his face, covering his ears to try and block out the things that were going to be said to him.

"I-It's not true!" Feliciano screamed. "H-he can't be..!"

"You think I'd make something like this up!?" Lovino yelled, voice cracking as the waterworks finally left his eyes as well. Feliciano hiccupped as he shook his head once again.

Neither brother could believe what had happened, especially around a time that was meant to be joyous. It was only a few days before Christmas and the Italian brothers knew that they would be spending it in the hospital. That was where their grandfather was currently residing now. Early that morning the two had received a phone call about the massive gas fire that broke out at their grandfather's work building. All of the smoke and explosions had made it hard for most of the people to get out, so their grandfather was helping them get out. However, Julius wasn't able to get away from the building in time and got hit by a lot of the debris from the last explosion that caused the entire building to collapse. Sadly, Julius was placed into a coma because of it. Who wouldn't be after being hit in the head with concrete? The doctors had said that it was a miracle that the man didn't get killed because of it.

"F-Fratello…?" Feliciano softly asked after a long silence lingered in the air between the two Italian brothers.

"What?" Lovino asked in a mumble, slightly looking over at his younger brother. By now the two had calmed down and were no longer crying. The two were just upset.

"Um… a-are… you going to go hang out with Antonio b-because of this?"

"…Maybe… why?"

"J-Just wondering… Kind of don't want you to… but I understand if…" Feliciano trailed off as he hugged the pillow in his arms more. It was a way for him to be comforted at the moment since he knew his brother didn't really like being hugged by him. The only one that Lovino actually allowed to hug him was Antonio, which actually made Feliciano rather sad since the two of them were brothers after all.

"Oh…" That was the last thing Lovino said. Actually, it was the last thing that both of them had said for the rest of the day, mainly because Lovino had actually decided to go to Antonio's house after all, leaving the poor younger brother to be all alone.

Feliciano didn't have anything else to do so, instead of sitting in the house by himself, he decided to go out for a walk. Yes, it was cold. Yes, Feliciano really didn't want to be out there, but there really wasn't much else that he _could_ do. The Italian didn't want to stay in the house anymore by himself. The wind nipped at Feliciano's face where his bare skin was present, making him sigh.

_What am I supposed to do?_ Feliciano asked himself. _I don't really have anywhere to go…_

Normally in this kind of situation, Feliciano would just go over to Kiku's house until he felt better, but his Japanese friend wasn't home for the break and wouldn't be back until the beginning of the next semester. He sighed again, sitting down on a bench, hugging himself. It was cold and the Italian didn't really know what else to do. If he could, he'd go to Ludwig's but the German said that his family would be going to Germany, so he didn't have anywhere else to go. Feliciano just felt so lonely being by himself.

_Maybe I should just go visit Nonno…_ Feliciano thought, looking up at the sky as small snowflakes began to gently fall. The Italian sat there for a while, wondering what he should really do, until he let out a yelp from something knocking him over. However, it wasn't long before Feliciano started giggling as he felt wet, sloppy kisses being given to him. After a few seconds, the Italian regained his composure and gently pushed the animal on top of him off. Feliciano sat up, blinking as he looked down at the golden retriever that was now sitting in front of him.

"Ve~ Aster~" Feliciano smiled happily, petting the dog behind the ear. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be-"

"Aster!"

Feliciano slightly froze as he heard that familiar, German accented voice. He looked around so he could find out where the voice had come from before seeing a large figure in the distance. As the figure got closer, Feliciano could see Ludwig looking around for Aster as he continued to call the dog's name. Immediately Feliciano could feel his heart pounding against his chest again, a soft red hue appearing onto his cheeks in the process. It wasn't long, though, for Ludwig to walk up and reattach Aster's leash to her collar. Once he stood back up, Ludwig looked down at the Italian still sitting on the bus bench.

"Are you alright, Feliciano?" Ludwig asked, hoping that his dog hadn't hurt Feliciano in anyway. He knew Aster wasn't one to hurt someone, but he wanted to make sure just in case.

"I-I'm okay…" Feliciano replied, trying to avoid eye contact with the German man.

"She didn't hurt you?"

"No… she just licked my face…"

"I see. That's good."

The two were silent for several minutes before he finally looked up at Ludwig. "Ludwig… I thought you were going back to Germany."

"We were, but my grandfather got into an accident at his work and is recovering at home right now," Ludwig replied. "He's lucky he got off without any more damage than what he had."

"I-I see…"

"What about you? Why are you out here?"

Feliciano looked down as he was asked this question. Frankly, he didn't want to talk about it, but he felt as though he could trust Ludwig with anything. The two had a lot of things in common. Well, maybe not a lot, but there were _some_ things. They both had grandfathers and both of them were hurt in some way.

"Well… my grandpa was hurt really badly… he's hospitalized right now and in a coma…"

Feliciano wanted to cry. He wanted to cry so much right now but all of his tears had dried up. He couldn't find the tears to come out even if he wanted them to.

"…I see… What happened…?"

"Grandpa was helping people get out from a building explosion and he didn't get away from the building in time… The doctors said he was lucky he didn't die from it…" Feliciano's voice cracked as he spoke. It was his body's way of showing how much it hurt the Italian to talk about it. "I didn't want to be in the house by myself since Lovino went to Antonio's house…"

"I see…" Ludwig looked down at Aster who looked back up at him with a look of concern. Even for a dog, Aster was smart and knew when something was wrong. Ludwig stared down at her for a few minutes before he looked back at Feliciano. "You want to come to my house and warm up?"

"Ve? Y-You don't mind…?"

Ludwig blushed slightly, glancing away. "W-Well… we are friends, aren't we?"

It took Feliciano several minutes before a smile spread onto his lips. "Y-Yes! We are!" he cried happily, jumping to his feet and hugging Ludwig. "Ve~ You don't know how happy that makes me to hear you say that~"

"Ja… n-now let's go…" Ludwig patted Feliciano's head before he started walking, the blush on his cheeks increasing even more than before. Feliciano watched for a moment before following after. He was happy that Ludwig actually called him his friend. It made his bad day better.

0-0-0

It had grown late and Feliciano had fallen asleep on Ludwig couch after finishing his second cup of cocoa. The Italian had been so excited that he talked about things so the Ludwig could know him better. Of course, that had led to Feliciano using up all his energy. Ludwig was nice enough to let the Italian stay in his room for the night. He had carried the Italian there and covered him up.

"Ve…" Feliciano softly said, turning on his side and snuggling into the soft pillows. Ludwig couldn't help but smile a bit before he shook his head. He didn't know _what_ he was thinking as he walked to the door. The German took hold of the door knob, looking back over at Feliciano.

As he watched the young teen sleep on his bed, he felt a skip in his heart beat. Ludwig blushed, looking down again. There was something about Feliciano that was familiar. Something that he had forgotten or something that he didn't understand. Why did he feel like this? It just didn't make any sense to Ludwig right now.

It was though, somehow, Ludwig had fallen in love with the Italian. Of course, this thought only made Ludwig blush more. Had such a thing really happened? Had he actually fallen in love with Feliciano? Ludwig walked out of the room, making sure that he didn't wake Feliciano up at all. Ludwig sighed, leaning against the door with the red hue still on his cheeks. Ludwig couldn't believe what he was thinking.

There was no way he could have fallen in love with the happy, cheerful Italian. Yes, he had never had a friend quiet like Feliciano, but falling in love with him? That was just ridiculous! First thing was that Feliciano was a _guy_ and second, he had only known Feliciano for half a year, maybe even less than that. So, how could he have already fallen in love?

Ludwig shook his head again before he walked downstairs to finish a few chores he hadn't gotten too. To his surprise, his grandfather was sitting on the couch in the living room. After a moment, Ludwig walked over.

"You're feeling better, Grandpa?" Ludwig asked, standing behind the elder man. Ludwig's grandfather looked much like Ludwig. He had blonde hair but his extended down close to his waist and looked as though it was slicked back in the front. The man also had sky blue eyes like Ludwig did.

"Ja…" the man replied, the heavy accent coming through. Even being in America, the man's accent hadn't lessened since they got there. "Who was that boy?"

"Hm? You mean Feliciano?" Ludwig's grandfather nodded in reply. "He's a friend… he's having a hard time so I figured I'd let him stay…" Of course, that was kind of a lie. He wasn't _expecting_ Feliciano to stay over. It just happened to turn out that way.

"I see…"

"Is something wrong, Grandpa?" Ludwig asked after a slight silence filled the air between the two. The elder man said nothing, just shaking his head in reply. Ludwig nodded before he walked off to do what he had originally planned to do.

It wasn't long before Ludwig finally went to bed, setting up a 'bed' on the floor before falling asleep. Hopefully things would be better for everyone in the morning. Yes. That's what Ludwig was hoping for.


	11. Chapter 11

Feliciano's eyes slowly opened as the sun hit his eyes, making him cringe and turn away from it. After a few moments, the Italian's chocolate honey eyes slowly fluttered open. It took him a few moments to compose himself and remember where he was. Ludwig's house. That's where he was. Feliciano yawned and sat up, looking around to find that he was the only one in the room. He wondered if Ludwig was already awake or not. It's not like he knew if Ludwig slept in the room at all or not.

"Ve… It's kind of late…" he softly said, looking at the time to see that it was ten o'clock in the morning already. Feliciano stood up and walked out of the room, looking around. He still didn't see Ludwig anywhere, but he could smell a delicious scent coming from the kitchen. The Italian blushed a bit as his stomach growled before he walked down the stairs before stopping as he saw Ludwig's grandfather on the couch. Feliciano looked down, feeling a bit uncomfortable but slowly made his way to the kitchen. It's not like he thought the man was mean or anything like that, but Feliciano felt a little uncomfortable greeting him or anything since he didn't actually know who he was.

As the door opened, Ludwig turned around from working at the stove. Feliciano couldn't help but stifle a giggle as he saw the burly German man wearing an apron. It seemed a little strange to see something like that on Ludwig.

"Ve~ Morning Ludwig~" Feliciano finally greeted once he had calmed down so he wouldn't sound like he was trying not to laugh.

"Morning…" Ludwig replied as he turned back around. "Did you sleep alright?"

"Mm-hm~ I did~" Feliciano walked over a bit more. "Sorry for sleeping over without asking."

"It's alright. Just try not to do it again." Feliciano nodded in reply. He was glad that Ludwig didn't get mad at him for it. Ludwig really was nice, nicer than Feliciano had ever thought. It was too bad that Ludwig had that stoic exterior around people. Feliciano smiled before noticing a familiar book on the shelf in the kitchen. He walked over and pulled it off, staring at it with wide, surprised eyes.

'_Traditional German Recipes'_ was the title of the book. Feliciano couldn't believe the Ludwig's family would have this book. After all, they _were_ German. Feliciano thought about that and realized that was probably just a stupid excuse to him but it still surprised him. Feliciano turned around and looked at Ludwig, holding out the book in front of him.

"Ludwig, why do you have this book?" Feliciano asked, knowing it was probably a silly question to ask but he really wanted to know. Ludwig looked over for a moment before looking back down again.

"It's a cookbook my grandfather wrote," Ludwig replied as though it were the easiest thing to say. Feliciano blinked, surprised to hear that.

"Your… grandfather?" Feliciano's eyes widened even more at hearing that. "Y-You're grandfather wrote this!?" A slight squeak left Feliciano's voice as he said that. It was just so surprising. He never would have thought that he had gotten a book written by Ludwig's grandfather.

"Ja…" Was all Ludwig said before he walked over to the cupboards and pulled out a few plates. Feliciano looked down at the book again. Ludwig's grandfather wrote an amazing cookbook like this? It was a little hard for Feliciano to believe but he knew Ludwig really wasn't one to lie about something important.

Feliciano placed the book back on the shelf before turning back around and asking, "What does the A in his name stand for?"

"Aldric," Ludwig replied. The German carried the plates over and placed them down on the table. "I didn't know what you wanted for breakfast, so I hope you don't mind a German breakfast…"

"Hm? Oh~ that's okay~" Feliciano replied. "I'm sure it'll be yummy~"

"Alright. I'll be right back." Ludwig walked out of the kitchen for several minutes. It wasn't long before the grandfather walked in. Feliciano looked at the elder man and couldn't help but notice a _huge_ resemblance between Ludwig and this man in front of him. Yes, he knew Gilbert was Ludwig's brother, but there really wasn't _that much_ of a resemblance. There was a bit but not as much as it was between Ludwig and Aldric. Those two seemed more as though they could be father and son and not grandfather and grandson.

"Ve… Um… G-Good morning," Feliciano greeted the man. The Italian felt a little uncomfortable with Aldric staring at him so intently. Of course, Feliciano didn't want to be mean but he did wonder why the man was staring at him like that.

"Morning…" the man finally greeted back. "…tell me, do you by chance have a family member named Julius?"

Feliciano blinked in confusion. That was a strange question to be asked at a first meeting. "I do. He's my Grandpa."

"I see…" That was all Aldric said before he sat down at the table. Feliciano was completely confused but he smiled a bit.

"Ve~ Do you know Grandpa, Mr. Beilschmidt?"

"…I might…"

Well, that didn't get Feliciano the answer he wanted. He got the feeling that Ludwig was _a lot_ like his grandfather than he thought. Both seemed to rather stay quiet than talk about things. He couldn't help but slightly giggle at that. Ludwig really _did_ seem more like Aldric's son than anything. He also couldn't help but think it was a little cute to think that Ludwig had so many similarities with his grandfather. Soon after, Ludwig and Gilbert walked into the room and the four all sat down and ate breakfast

It actually made Feliciano happy to be sitting at the table like he was part of Ludwig's family. Sure his brother and he ate together, but their grandfather rarely ate with them because of work. It made him a little sad to know that his family wouldn't be having a normal Christmas like they normally did. He loved his grandfather and knowing that he was hurt badly made him even sadder than before. It also made Feliciano realize how old Julius was. Aldric was a lot like his grandfather. Neither of them looked at _all_ like their age. It was surprising how young they looked compared to others their age.

After breakfast, Ludwig walked out of the house with Feliciano to take him home. After all, Feliciano didn't know whether or not his brother had even gone back home or not. Hopefully his brother was back and the two of them could work things out again. The two had really gotten into a fight that was more of a stress reliever than anything. Feliciano still didn't like it though. He never liked getting into fights with his brother. Feliciano was in such a daze that the only thing that snapped him out of it was Ludwig yelling his name and the sudden jerk of his body going backwards.

"Pay attention Feliciano!" Ludwig yelled. It took Feliciano a moment to realize that he was pressed against Ludwig's chest in a protective embrace. Feliciano blinked in confusion before a heavy blush appeared on his cheeks. He never realized how warm Ludwig was until now. Feliciano slowly looked up at Ludwig who was staring back staring back at him with a sterner look than before.

Feliciano was only able to mumble out a simple 'sorry' before Ludwig actually released him again. A sigh escaped the German's lips. Feliciano could see Ludwig's lips moving but he didn't know what the German was saying. It was as though the sound from the world had disappeared. As though time was slowly coming to a stop just for this one moment for Feliciano to have. The Italian's cheeks grew a bright color as he stared at Ludwig's muscular form. Feliciano's head told him not to do anything since Ludwig and him had finally become true friends, but his body was saying otherwise. His body was moving on its own.

Feliciano could see the confused and slightly concerned look on Ludwig's face as he continued to stare at him with pools of amber. Feliciano couldn't help it. He had realized that he had fallen hopelessly in love with Ludwig by trying to get the German to be his friend. Just watching those slightly pale lips moving made his heart skip a beat. He longed for those lips to be pressed against his and for those arms to wrap him in a loving and warm embrace, but he knew Ludwig probably didn't feel the same about him. He didn't care though. He just wanted to feel those lips against his.

"Feliciano?" Ludwig asked concern noticeable in his voice. Feliciano continued to stare at Ludwig, feeling water well up in his eyes. He couldn't do it. He couldn't risk his and Ludwig's friendship like that. Feliciano felt his knees buckle and, not long after that, felt strong arms catch him before he could fall to the snow covered ground.

"I'm s-sorry…" Feliciano apologized. He couldn't move though. It was as if all of his body had shut down all of a sudden. He continued to mumble those same words over and over again though. He apologized so many times that he had lost track of it.

"Feliciano…" Was the only thing that left Ludwig's lips. The German couldn't help but be concerned about Feliciano's sudden change in behavior. He didn't have a choice. He wrapped one arm around the Italian's waist and wrapped the other one under his legs before gently hoisting him up. The minute that happened, however, Feliciano pressed his face into Ludwig's chest. He softly cried, never realizing how hard it was for him to be in love with someone who had just said not too long again that they were truly friends.

Ludwig eventually got Feliciano home before setting him back down on the ground. Feliciano's eyes were completely red from crying and his face was a bit pale.

"You sure you'll be alright, Feliciano?" Ludwig asked.

Feliciano nodded in reply before he spoke. "Thank you for bringing me home…"

"You're welcome…" Feliciano slightly waved to Ludwig as a sign of good-bye before he walked into his house. Of course, the minute the door was closed he could hear all too familiar voices. The voices of two people in love, something he could never have.

"You're so silly Lovi~" Antonio chimed from the couch.

"S-Shush…" Lovino mumbled. Feliciano felt his heart clench tightly. It hurt so much to hear them being like that, especially his brother. Feliciano knew his brother only acted like that with Antonio and no one else. Love. Feliciano couldn't have that when he needed it the most.

The younger Italian made it an effort not to make any noise as he walked up the steps. Though he had been rather tempted to go into the living room and yell at the two for being in love. He withheld it though. It's not like he could stop them from loving each other like that. Feliciano was just jealous of his brother at the moment. Lovino could be with the man he loved while he couldn't.

_Why does it have to hurt so much?_ Feliciano asked himself as he stopped at the top of the stairs. _Why do I have to be in love with him?_

Feliciano was so confused. He couldn't handle not being able to kiss and hold and be held by Ludwig. Feliciano walked into his bedroom, softly closing the door before he collapsed on his bed. The soft pillow on his bed helped quiet his scream. A throbbing heart was hard to handle. All Feliciano had wanted to do was be friends with Ludwig, yet he ended up falling in love with him instead. He didn't know how to handle something like this other than crying. So that's just what Feliciano did. He cried until no more tears came out and screamed until he couldn't scream any longer.

Feliciano didn't think he could face seeing Ludwig for a while. He would just avoid seeing Ludwig whenever possible. So, that's how he spent the rest of his break doing. Feliciano spent it inside of his room. Even when his grandfather was released from the hospital, that's where Feliciano stayed. He never once came out of his room after that day. He would eat small portions of his meals and leave the rest to be taken back downstairs by his brother. That's all Feliciano _wanted_ to do right now. That's all he wanted to do until school had finally started up once more.


	12. Chapter 12

The beginning of the school semester was something Feliciano really wasn't looking forward to. It meant that he would have to finally face Ludwig and, most likely, it meant Feliciano might cry again or even run away. Ludwig probably thought that he was weirder than normal after breaking down and crying like that. He was slow getting ready for school that morning. Most of break he had barely gotten any sleep and now it was coming back to haunt him.

"Feliciano," Lovino's voice came from the other side of the door after a knock occurred. Feliciano was actually surprised that his brother didn't sound angry at him that morning. Normally Lovino would yell at him to hurry up so they could leave, but no this morning. Lovino was actually very worried about his younger brother and didn't want to push him too quickly in case something triggered him to cry.

It wasn't surprising though. Lovino and Julius had heard Feliciano crying a lot of nights, but neither of them knew why he was. When they did try to ask, Feliciano just avoided the question and asked to be left alone.

After a few moments, Feliciano opened his door and looked at his brother. He said nothing as he stepped out of the room with his backpack in hand and closed the door. Without saying anything, the two went down to the kitchen to eat some breakfast before leaving. Neither one spoke as they walked all the way to school before they went their separate ways to class. The minute Feliciano got into the classroom, he was greeted by Kiku but Feliciano didn't greet his friend back. He just walked over to a seat by the window and sat down, laying his head on the desk.

"…Feliciano-kun, are you alright?" Kiku asked, having had a seat next to the Italian. Feliciano slightly sat up and looked over at Kiku.

"…I'm okay…." He mumbled before laying his head back down and staring out the window once more. Kiku frowned. He hadn't seen Feliciano like this in a while. The first time that he saw Feliciano in this kind of mood was when he didn't have lunch and was hungry. However, the Japanese man knew it was different this time, completely different. For being one to sense the mood, it was easy for him to tell that it wasn't because Feliciano was hungry.

"Feliciano-kun, you know you can talk to me about anything that is bothering you," Kiku commented.

"…kay…"

Kiku softly sighed as he looked back forward as the teacher came into the classroom. The entire day, Feliciano was pretty quiet and actually paid attention to the lessons in class. It was something to keep his mind off of everything, which he was really grateful for.

"…Kiku…" Feliciano softly said once the bell had rung. The Japanese man looked over at him.

"Yes?"

"I'm… not going to the club today…"

"Are you not feeling well?"

"…something like that…"

Kiku nodded, though he didn't entirely believe what the Italian had said. "Alright. Please do not push yourself, Feliciano-kun," he stated, picking up his school bag. "I shall let you know what is going on later." Feliciano nodded as Kiku excused himself and walked out of the room. Feliciano sat there for a little while before he stood up and walked out of the room, not even making eye contact with Ludwig who had been on his way over to Feliciano to ask what was wrong.

Feliciano could already tell that when he had caught a glimpse of the German's expression and that was something he didn't want right now. He didn't want Ludwig to talk to him or even worry about him. Feliciano just needed to work through all of this. However, Feliciano only got half-way down the hall before he felt himself being jerked back around, being forced to look at Ludwig.

"Feliciano, why are you avoiding me?" Ludwig asked rather bluntly. Feliciano stared at the German before looking away.

"I'm not…" he mumbled in reply, knowing that it was a terrible lie. Ludwig's brows furrowed, his concern seeing to fade from hearing this statement. A serious expression was now present on his face and his grip tightened a bit on Feliciano's arm.

"You're horrible at lying, Feliciano. Tell me the truth. Did I do something?"

"N-No! You didn't!" Feliciano started to cry a bit. "I just…." He shook his head. Feliciano didn't want to say anything to Ludwig. If he did, he knew something would happen that he didn't like.

"You're just what?" Ludwig asked. Feliciano slightly shook as Ludwig's tone became even more serious than before. He didn't like hearing that from his friend, especially with how he was feeling right now.

"I-I just…" Feliciano softly began again, feeling heavier tears starting to flow down his face. He didn't know what to say to make Ludwig calm down. Truthfully, he was scared of Ludwig at the moment. He just wanted to get away from him so he could run away. Ludwig sighed as he released the Italian from his grasp.

"I guess we're not as good friends as I thought…" Those words the Ludwig spoke pierced Feliciano's heart like a knife, causing his knees to give out on him. He stared up at Ludwig who stared back for only a moment before turning around and walking off.

"L…Lud…wig…" Feliciano softly said, watching as Ludwig's large back slowly disappeared from sight. No. This was something he didn't want to have happen to him. He didn't want to see Ludwig walking away from him after saying those words. The one thing he feared actually came true. Now, Ludwig wouldn't even want to be around him.

After a few moments, Feliciano slowly forced himself up and forced himself to run out of the school. He didn't even stop when his brother called out to him from the school grounds. Feliciano just wanted to be left alone and he would do anything to have that.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know this is a short chapter, but I wanted to end it this way so I could start the next chapter differently. ^_^ Also, this story will be coming to a close soon~  
>R&amp;R would be wonderful~<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

Ludwig stared blankly at the paper that Kiku had given him. It had been two days and Feliciano had not shown himself in school the entire time. The German wanted to apologize for what he had said to Feliciano, but he wasn't able to. He had regretted since the first day about his words. He knew they hurt Feliciano badly. Ludwig had just been mad that Feliciano was his friend and wouldn't tell him what was wrong and he did it while Feliciano was already broken. He didn't help his friend at all. No. He made it a lot worse than before and he knew that. Ludwig had tried to go to Feliciano's house, but he didn't want to disturb the Italian's family. After all, Feliciano had mumbled something earlier that his grandfather was still recovering and the German wanted to respect that.

"…ig-san…." A familiar voice finally reached his ears, making Ludwig snap out of his thoughts and looked over at the Japanese man that was sitting there with a concerned look on his face as he stared at Ludwig. "Ludwig-san, is there something wrong?"

Ludwig looked down, sighing. "Kiku, can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can," Kiku replied as calmly as he always spoke.

"What do you think happened to Feliciano?"

"I do not know. Perhaps he is ill and will not be coming to school for a little while."

"I see…"

Kiku looked down as well for a moment, letting the silence fill the air before he looked back up and spoke. "Ludwig-san, you look as though you have more to say. You may tell me if it will help you work something out." Kiku was always one to "sense the mood" and always seemed to know when there was something really wrong.

Ludwig sighed again. "Well, two days ago I was trying to get Feliciano to talk to be about what was wrong," the German began. "He wouldn't tell me so I got mad, which I know I shouldn't have and then…" Ludwig fell silent for a while, once again regretting those words he had said. "…and then I said 'I guess we're not as good friends as I thought'." He sighed once again. "Then I just walked off."

"I see… Is that why you have been trying to find him at school? So you can apologize for saying it?"

"Ja…"

Kiku looked down, closing his eyes. He understood why he thought he heard Feliciano crying last night when he tried to call the Italian to make sure he was okay. When he didn't get much of an answer, Kiku had said good-bye and let the Italian alone. Now he was starting to worry a bit more about his friend being gone without much word to anyone about his whereabouts.

"Ludwig-san, you need to stop hiding behind that façade that you show to others," Kiku stated rather bluntly. "Myself and Feliciano-kun both know that you are a bit more… how shall I put it… you are more shy than you let on." Kiku opened his eyes and looked back up at Ludwig who was staring at him with a rather embarrassed expression. "When you act cold towards your friend, of course they are going to react differently than others would. However, I believe Feliciano-kun's reason is deeper than that. You cannot simply force someone to tell you what is on their minds. You must give them the time to think things through and let them come to you when they wish to speak."

"I know…" Ludwig softly said, looking down once again. "I know I shouldn't have tried to force him but I was worried about him. He wasn't his usual, cheerful self. I'm not good with these kinds of things. I've never really been in a situation like this before."

"Yet you know how to feel when you have done something wrong."

Ludwig looked over at Kiku again, slightly confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, perhaps you _have_ been in such a situation and you just do not know you have," Kiku replied. "Some people would take days or even weeks when they have not been in situations such as that before they even felt regret, but since you felt it almost right away perhaps you have been in such a situation."

"You think so?"

"I do." Kiku looked down and began packing his backpack, already know that the meeting was not going to get anywhere at this rate. "If you truly regret it then you need to go over to his house and speak with him or else Feliciano-kun will stay away for as long as he wants because he is depressed. I do not know why he is not his self, but I feel as though you will make things better if you speak with him."

"I see…" Ludwig stood up and quickly started to place his things back into his bag. He looked over at Kiku, smiling very slightly as though he were relived about what was just said. "Thank you Kiku." He closed his bag and placed it on his back before walking out of the room.

Kiku sat in the room for a while before softly chuckling. "I suppose there is more to both Ludwig-san and Feliciano-kun than I had originally thought." Kiku stood up and placed his backpack on. "I suppose there may be an interesting development coming up soon."

0-0-0

Ludwig was close to the entrance of the school, hoping that Feliciano would _want_ to talk to him after what had happened, when he met someone who was familiar. Dark auburn hair, amber eyes, and a scowl on his face. Ludwig remembered meeting this person at Feliciano's Christmas party.

"Lovino…" Ludwig said.

"You. Bastard!" Lovino screamed at the German, slightly catching Ludwig off guard. "It's all your fault!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Like you don't fucking know!"

"I don't!" Ludwig stated, furrowing his brows. Lovino's hands clenched into fists as his face started turning red with anger.

"It's your fault my little brother ran away!" Ludwig's eyes slightly widened as he heard this. Feliciano had run away? Had what he said really hurt Feliciano enough to make the Italian run away? He never thought something like this would have happened, but he knew that Lovino was telling the truth with how angry he was.

"Why did he run away…?" Ludwig asked, wanting to get the whole explanation of the situation before he did anything else.

"You _hurt_ him!" Lovino continued to scream. "He ran away because you were a fucking bastard to him and you didn't care! He's been upset since he came back from your house that one day and now, because of you, he ran away!"

"I realize that… but were there other reasons that he decided to run off?"

"No! I don't! All I know that it is your fault for all of this happening!"

Ludwig's gaze fell as he began to think, trying to figure out where Feliciano might have gone. If it was some place they had been before, then he would go look there. After all, he wanted to apologize to him for what he had said, but there weren't any places that he could think of that Feliciano would have gone. Lovino stared at Ludwig for awhile, panting since he had made himself out of breath because of his yelling. However, once he had caught his breathe, Lovino began to yell again.

"If you never came here then Feliciano never would have ended up liking you!"

"What…?" Ludwig asked, slightly exasperated at hearing what Lovino had just said. Feliciano liked him? In what way though?

"Are you deaf?" Lovino growled, almost snarling like a dog. "Feliciano fell in love with you and now you've hurt him! I'll fucking kill you if my brother ends up disappearing for the rest of his life!"

Ludwig didn't hear anything Lovino said after he heard the word 'love' in the sentence. His eyes were wide and he felt like all the breathe had gone from his lungs. Feliciano was in love with him? Was that why Feliciano had been trying to avoid him before? Because he was afraid of telling him his real feelings?

So many questions spun through the German's head and so many thoughts did as well. Ludwig shook his head and held it. If that's what Feliciano had wanted to say, then why didn't he say so in the first place? Ludwig leaned against the wall, feeling even more pain radiating from his head. This was the hardest he ever had to think, but that wasn't the only reason. There seemed as though there was something that he had forgotten. Something that was trying to force its way back to the surface of his mind. However, all of that was cut short when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Ludwig turned around slightly to see his brother standing there with a slightly serious look on his face.

"Lud, you need to go home," Gilbert stated.

"I can't. Not when-"

"No! You _have_ to go home Lud! If you go out anywhere now you'll only end up hurting yourself!" Ludwig looked away from his brother, knowing that he was right. Ludwig may have been stubborn, but he listened to his brother when he was right about things.

"Alright…"

"Go on ahead, I'll catch up," Gilbert said. Ludwig nodded and took a deep breath before he started walking off and out the front entrance. Once Ludwig was out of sight, Gilbert turned towards Lovino and sent a piercing gaze to him.

"Don't you _ever_ say something like that to him again!" Gilbert demanded. "If not then I'll do something about it, even if you _are_ Antonio's lover!" Gilbert glared at the Italian before he quickly followed after his younger brother.

Lovino cringed as he looked away as Gilbert walked off. The blood shot eyes the albino had was terrifying to him and he didn't really know what else to do. He had never really been a fan of the kinds of friends that Antonio made when in school. Francis was a little strange and eve hit on him a few times before he found out that he was Antonio's lover, but Gilbert was the one person who he hated more than anything. There was just something about Gilbert that he didn't like and now that same person proved it even more.

_Fucking bastards…_ the Italian thought before he walked off and left the school for the day. If anything really _did_ happen to his brother though, he would make sure the Ludwig's life was a living hell.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yes! I got another chapter done earlier than I thought I was going too~ ^_^ but... now the next update really won't be around for awhile since I have projects and other things to do these next few weeks.**

**I actually only have about four weeks of school left, so I need to focus a_lot_ more on that than anything else right now so... hope you like this chapter~**


	14. Chapter 14

Another day passed before Ludwig went searching for Feliciano, having calmed down and pushed aside what Lovino had told him. He shouldn't believe something like that unless he heard it from Feliciano himself. Though, Ludwig wasn't quite sure how he was going react if it turned out that it was actually true.

"Lud, you sure you want to do this?" Gilbert asked as he leaned against the door frame of his brother's room, arms folded and a serious look on his face. The older brother wasn't very fond of the idea that his younger brother would be looking for Feliciano.

"I have too," Ludwig replied as he slicked back his hair like he always did every morning before his gaze landed upon his brother. "It's my fault Feliciano ran off so I have to be the one to bring him back."

Gilbert sighed. "Lud… it was his own choice to run away. It's not _your_ fault." Ludwig shook his head, knowing his brother didn't understand what he was going through at the moment. Feliciano had run off because of the harsh words that he had said. He needed to go and find him. Apologize to him. Ask him some questions. Those were the things that Ludwig needed to do not only for Feliciano, but for himself as well.

The burly German man picked up the bag he had been packing before walking pass his older brother. He didn't make eye contact with him or even say anything more about what he was going to do. He had made it clear enough already and there wasn't anything that was going to stop him. Even if his grandfather yelled at him for being gone so long, he wasn't going to back down. When Ludwig made a decision, he always fulfilled it.

Ludwig stopped at the door and turned to look back at Gilbert who was now standing at the top of the stairs. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he nonchalantly informed. His large hand gripped the door handle, almost looking as though he would break it before opening it and walking out into the windy cold outdoors. The door creaked to a close, leaving Gilbert inside the house by himself.

"…I hope you know what you're doing Lud…" Gilbert whispered, returning to his messy, cluttered room.

0-0-0

Ludwig looked around in some of the places that he believed Feliciano would be. Having spoken about interests (though it was more one-sided on that part), Ludwig checked the places that Feliciano had mentioned a lot. The first place he checked was a small city park where the trees were bare of leaves from the winter air, the flowers wilted, and the ground was still covered in a thick layer of snow.

Ludwig could see that this place probably wouldn't be in Feliciano's list of places to hide. For one, there wasn't any place _to_ hide and second, the place wasn't on the beautiful side of things. The German recalled that Feliciano liked to go to the park but only in the spring and summer time when the flowers were in bloom and everything wasn't dreary looking. Even though he could see the foot prints made in the snow, they weren't large enough to be Feliciano. Ludwig sighed and continued on his way.

The second place was the restaurant entitled 'Maggiano's'. Ludwig remembered coming here once with Feliciano when they had met closer to the beginning of the year. Feliciano had said it was his favorite place to go with Ludwig now that they were on the verge of being friends, though it seemed less unique to Ludwig since Kiku had also accompanied them there that day. The outside was nice and very neat looking. Vines laced itself through the terrace (though those were dead and beginning to crumble) and heavy red curtain's hung on the outside of the windows. The German shook his head. He knew Feliciano wouldn't come to a place that would kick him out after a few hours, checking restaurants and arcades but he couldn't find Feliciano anywhere around there.

As Ludwig continued to search, the sky became heavy and dark with clouds. Snow clouds that were ready to open up and consume the vision of the people. The German looked up at the sky, a puff of air forming as he let out a heaved sigh. Ludwig had been searching for hours and he didn't have any luck with finding the Italian anywhere that he looked. He was beginning to give up hope, believing that he would never find his friend until his eyes fell across an old, abandoned art museum. The man recalled Feliciano telling him about an old art museum that was shut down.

Feliciano had explained that the place was pretty run down now. The windows were shattered and the shutters were hanging on the last few screws on most of them. The building had cracks all over it and the building no longer had any doors to block out the changing weather. The building in front of Ludwig right now was exactly like that. Ludwig walked over towards the tall building before stopping at the front, peering inside it.

Ludwig knew that there was a very slim chance of finding the Italian there, but he had to look. It was the only place left the he could think of where Feliciano would be. He removed his cell phone from his pocket and looked at the time. It was already pass 8 o'clock. He wouldn't be going to school tomorrow again either (having missed school the day before) at this rate. The sleek black phone was returned to its original spot before Ludwig walked inside the old art museum, his footsteps echoing on the concrete floor in the process.

The inside looked a bit better than the outside, but not by much. The walls had dents all over them and the pillars helping to hold the structure up were cracked and crumbling, slowly losing its integrity. The old frames that once hung on the wall were broken in half and sprawled across the floor. The only thing that seemed the most intact in the entire place were the inside doors. The dark, redwood doors were still in place and they did not even have a single knick on it.

Ludwig stopped in the middle of the room he was in and heard the whistling of the wind coming in through the windows, making it echo off the stone looking walls. The man looked around where he stood before walking over to the large door and opening it, revealing a rather preserved room. There was art displayed on the walls, all displayed in frames, and the art work looked as though it were rather recent as well. Ludwig looked around the room, surprised to see paints, brushes, and other art supplies laying on the floor and canvases on easels, all of which looked very new. However, the one thing that caught his eye was the lump on an old, torn couch in the corner.

Cautiously and carefully, Ludwig made his way over to it. He carefully avoided paint pallets, brushes, and tubes of lidded paints as he walked. When he got there, he saw the sleeping figure of Feliciano. The Italian's skin was a bit pale, probably from the lack of food he had been eating. A soft red hue was present on his cheeks, most likely from the cold air that hung in the air. Only a thin, tattered, brown blanket lay over the Italian's body.

"….so this is where you've been…." Ludwig whispered as to not wake the sleeping man. Ludwig removed the large backpack from his back and pulled out a thicker, warmer blanket. He unfolded it and laid it over Feliciano to keep him warm. Feliciano slightly stirred but didn't wake up.

Ludwig waited a moment before he actually began to walk around the room, looking around at the pictures that were present on the walls. Most of them were beautiful sceneries that were painted with precision and time. One he looked at was a field of wild flowers, some in bloom and some about ready to do so. It was colorful. Even though it was simple, it looked as though it took years of work.

_Did Feliciano paint this?_ Ludwig thought, staring at the picture and then glanced over at the other in the room. Ludwig knew Feliciano was capable of drawing (having seen it only once or twice while the Italian was doodling in class or in the newspaper club), but he never thought that Feliciano would be able to paint something so beautiful.

Blue eyes looked back at the painting before they lay upon another. This one, from what Ludwig could see, was draw completely in pencil. The drawing a bit messy if a very close view was placed on it, but the overall work seemed elaborate. The lines were rough but the shading of it were absolutely beautiful. Ludwig had never thought artwork was this beautiful before. As he stood there, staring, his cheeks began to turn a deep red color. He looked down at the chipped, wooden floor, looking as though he were going to burn holes into it with his deep staring. However, he broke out of it as he heard muffled groans and the rustling of blankets.

The German slowly turned around to see Feliciano rubbing his tired and slightly red eyes. He stood where he was as though he were a statue. He didn't move and he quitted his breathing so he could not be heard as easily.

It took Feliciano a few minutes before he actually started looking around and then looking down at the new blanket that had been draped over him. The Italian was confused on where it came from before he froze, seeing a familiar figure out of his peripheral. Feliciano's thin fingers gripped the blanket as his eyes widened. He didn't dare to look over though, too scared to do so.

"…w…what…? I-I mean…" Feliciano began to say but was unable to form complete sentences. His cheeks slowly began to turn scarlet as his body shook not only from the cold but also from being scared of the German man present.

"I came looking for you," Ludwig replied. Neither of them moved from their spots and neither of them seemed the need to do so.

"W-why…? Y-You… d-don't like me…"

"I never said I didn't like you Feliciano. I just wanted to know what was wrong with you but you wouldn't tell me…" Ludwig looked away, staring at the floor again. "You're the first real friend I've ever had… so I felt a bit hurt that you wouldn't tell me what was wrong…"

Feliciano pulled the blanket over his head, trying to hide himself from Ludwig and the rest of the world. He knew Ludwig wouldn't like the answer he would give for the reason he had been acting strangely lately. Feliciano was too afraid to say anything about it.

Ludwig waited for Feliciano to answer, but when he didn't he continued to speak. "I know that I shouldn't have done that… if you want to tell me then you can, but I won't force you to tell me… I'm sorry for what I said a few days ago. I didn't really mean them. Again, I was just hurt that you didn't tell me anything…"

Feliciano blinked before pulling the blanket off his head and, finally, looking over at the German with saddened eyes. He had never realized that Ludwig was even someone who _could_ get hurt by him not saying anything. The Italian felt his cheeks heat up more, knowing that they were a deep scarlet color at this rate.

"Ve… I-I'm sorry…" Feliciano apologized a bit bashfully. "I didn't mean to hurt you like that… I'm… just afraid of what you might think… o-of me…" The butterflies slowly started to flutter around in his stomach as his nerves continued to increase. Feliciano looked back down again, clenching the blanket again. "I… I didn't want to lose you a-as a friend…"

"…Why would I do that? If it was something horrible then that might be the case, but if I don't know what it is then you can't know."

"I-I know…" Feliciano sighed a bit before hearing footsteps walking towards him. His heart began to pound against his chest to the point he could hear it himself. He swore that the German man, now standing next to the couch, could hear it as well. Feliciano only saw from his peripheral that Ludwig knelt down so they were eye level with each other.

"Feliciano… I want to hear from you what you're so afraid of," Ludwig said in the gentlest of tones, sending Feliciano's heart soaring. Ludwig had spoken so softly and so sincerely, something that he never thought he would be able to hear in all of his life.

The Italian swallowed nervously, never removing his gaze from his blanket filled hands. "Will you p-promise me one thing?" he whispered, almost to the point it was inaudible.

"What is it?"

"P-Promise me you'll still be my friend?"

"Of course I will…"

Feliciano nodded and went silent for a while, trying to build up the courage to speak again. Ludwig had made a promise to him but he wasn't so sure that it would be kept. Feliciano was still scared that Ludwig would turn around and say that they wouldn't be friends again after this. However, all his doubts were shattered when he felt something around his pinky finger. Pools of amber blinked before looking over at his hand. His and Ludwig's pinkies were laced together. Feliciano's eyes widened as he saw this before his gaze fell on Ludwig's face.

"I promise we'll still be friends after this, Feliciano," Ludwig stated firmly.

Eyes the color of the sky stared into his with the most sincerity that Feliciano had ever seen in Ludwig. His heart leapt to his throat, making it hard for him to breathe or to even speak. Pools of water began to form in his eyes but he held them back. Feliciano took a few long and deep breaths to calm himself down. His heart slowed a bit and he felt his cheeks cool down a smidge.

"Ve… I… um… w-well," Feliciano began to say before closing his mouth. He needed to calm down a bit more but he knew that was impossible. He knew he couldn't calm down any more than he already was.

It was now or never.

"Ludwig, I love you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know I said I would have this done after I was out of school, but I couldn't resist! DX I HAD to get his chapter out of the way or I would be sad for not being able to write it when I wanted and that would have affected my school work more!**

**Anyways, yes, this is how I am leaving this chapter. Yes. I am evil for doing so. Hoped you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you look forward to seeing the next one soon~ X3**


	15. Chapter 15

The two kept eye contact with each other, neither saying anything at all. The space around them seemed to dissipate, leaving only those two in a space of white. No one was there to interrupt them and there was nothing that seemed to be able to harm them. It was one of those perfect moments that Feliciano had always imagined would happen between him and the person he feel in love with.

Feliciano internally chuckled, seeing the bright blush that appeared on the German's face. Even though Ludwig looked and acted tough, he was such a sweet and caring person. He got embarrassed easily and, sometimes, Ludwig would stutter because he was so embarrassed. These were just a few things that Feliciano had noticed and loved about Ludwig. It only took a few moments for Ludwig to tear his gaze away from Feliciano and pull his hands away. The German stood up and turned away from the Italian, clearing his throat.

"Y-You're family is worried about you, you know," Ludwig stated, trying to change the subject so he could take that time to calm down.

"Si… I know…" Feliciano softly said, disappointed that Ludwig didn't say anything about his words that he had to find the courage to say. Those words he had been so afraid of to tell the German. "I just… wanted to be by myself for a little while…"

"So you came here?" Ludwig slightly looked back at Feliciano. "Without anything to keep you warm from the cold? That's dangerous you know." Feliciano looked back down at his lap as he heard Ludwig say this. He knew how dangerous it was, but he hadn't cared in the slightest. The Italian really didn't think anyone cared enough about him to even consider protecting himself in anyway. He knew his family loved him, but he didn't think much about it. They were family, so it was required to some people to love them, right?

"I….I know..."

Ludwig sighed a bit before walking over to Feliciano again, trying to be as nice has he could but it was hard when he still had what Feliciano told him on his mind. He sat down next to him but said nothing. For a while, the two sat in silence, except for the soft whistling of the wind coming in through the windows downstairs.

Feliciano was the first to speak up after several minutes. "How did you find me…?" he asked, looking over at the German who still had a deep blush on his cheeks. Seeing this helped ease Feliciano's mind a bit but not enough to make him stop worrying about things himself.

"I remember you telling me about this place," Ludwig replied, looking around the room, seeing more of the paintings that were hung on the wall. "Though I don't think you ever told me that there were so many art supplies here."

"That's because I didn't want to say anything." Feliciano's cheeks became a deep hue once again as he fumbled with his fingers a bit nervously. "I-I brought them all here a few years ago." Ludwig's eyes widened with a bit of surprise as he looked at the images on the wall.

"So… you painted and drew all of these?"

"S-Si…"

"I see…"

Ludwig fell silent as he scanned the room to look at the pictures that were around, which only made Feliciano feel a little uncomfortable. The Italian didn't know how much he was going to be able to hold out to wait for Ludwig's answer. He wanted to know what Ludwig's feelings towards him were. He wanted to hear what he had to say. Though, Feliciano probably knew the answer to that already. The German man only saw him as a friend and that's all they'll ever be.

Ludwig glanced over at Feliciano before turning towards him. "Let's get you home," he said. "Your family is worried about you." Feliciano nodded as he stood up. He picked up the thick blanket that had been placed on him, holding it out towards Ludwig.

"Did… you put this on me?" Feliciano asked, staring at the blanket instead of the man in front of him.

"I did… I didn't want you catching cold with that other blanket you had over you."

Feliciano felt his cheeks heating up again, thinking it was very sweet of Ludwig to think of something like that. In fact, Feliciano loved it even more that Ludwig would come to find him when it was this cold. Feliciano snapped out of his thoughts when he felt the blanket being taken from his hand and watched as Ludwig folded it up, placing it back into the large pack he had.

"…How long have you been looking for me?" Feliciano then asked once Ludwig had stood back up and placed his pack back on his back.

"…two days," Ludwig replied. "Today being the second day."

"…what about school? I-I never would have guessed that you would miss a day of it!"

"I… normally wouldn't… but I didn't…" Ludwig felt his face heat up again, looking away from the Italian man who was now standing beside him. "…I didn't want… anything to happen to you…"

"Ve… R-Really?" Feliciano asked, eyes widening with happiness. Ludwig nodded, only making Feliciano's heart skip a beat. The Italian wrapped his arms around Ludwig's muscular arm and laid his head against it. "T-That makes me really happy…~"

"I-I see…" Was all that Ludwig had said, feeling his face heating up even more than before. Feliciano softly giggled before the two left the building. Ludwig took one last look in the room before they walked out completely.

0-0-0

Feliciano and Ludwig blinked in confuse as they stared at the two on the couch. The curly brown hair and the long golden locks had been enough for the two to recognize one of them. Of course, neither of them could explain why they were there in the first place.

"We used to be old friends~" Julius chimed as he saw the confused looks on Feliciano's and Ludwig's face. Julius clipped the other man on the shoulder, smiling gleefully like he always did. "Isn't that right, Aldric?" The German man looked over at Julius with a stoic expression, maybe a bit more stern than even Ludwig's.

Before Aldric could even speak, Feliciano smiled and spoke. "Ve~ Really~? That's so cool~" he looked up at Ludwig who seemed to be having a staring contest with his grandfather. "Isn't that cool Ludwig~?"

Ludwig snapped out of his concentration and looked at Feliciano, blushing a bit. "I suppose so." He looked over at his grandfather again. "You never told me you knew Feliciano's grandfather."

"Didn't want to say I did…" Aldric stated rather bluntly. "Didn't want to be associated with him…" Aldric looked over at Julius, staring at the Italian man rather harshly. Julius sighed, shaking his head.

"That's mean, my friend," Julius commented, rather disappointed. "I thought we had good times all those years ago…"

"You were the one who kept getting me involved in things that had _nothing_ to do with me."

"You mean when I introduced you to that lovely lady?" Julius raised a brow in confusion, not understanding what he had down wrong. "I thought you appreciated that."

Aldric gritted his teeth as his stare became harsher than before, blue eyes seemed to be set aflame. "She had a boyfriend and it was your fault I got beat up."

"That was your own fault, my friend. You didn't stand up for yourself like you should have done." Aldric, by now, was standing up and hovering over Julius at this point. His face was red with anger and frustration. He couldn't believe Julius could be so calm like this when it has _his_ fault that bad things happened to him a lot.

Aldric shook his head and headed for the door, his golden locks flowing behind him. "Get home before dinner, Ludwig." That was the last thing that Aldric said before slamming the door behind him, leaving both Italians in the room with confused looks. Ludwig had only nodded before his grandfather left and softly sighed, turning back towards Feliciano.

"I should get going," he told him. "Get some rest and I'll see you at school tomorrow, alright?" Feliciano blinked and looked up at Ludwig with disappointment, never having heard Ludwig's answer to what he had said. He didn't want to push the German though, knowing it was probably more than he could take in at the moment.

Julius stared at Ludwig, an amused look on his face. "You know, you have the look of Aldric but you certainly don't act much like him."

Ludwig's attention went to Julius as the elder man spoke. "What do you mean?" he asked, not understanding why Julius had suddenly said that.

"Exactly what it sounds like. It's noticeable that you're his grandson, but you don't seem to get irritated as easily as he does."

"I suppose so…"

Julius sighed, raising a brow in disappointment as he continued to look at Ludwig. "You're not as much fun though. At least Aldric is a little fun because of it."

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you," Ludwig stated, wondering why Julius was trying to compare him to his grandfather. Many people had compared the two before, saying that they were a lot alike in many ways and that the only difference between them was their height and muscle mass. Of course, there were also times people mistook his grandfather for a female because of his long hair.

Ludwig shrugged and returned his attention to Feliciano. "I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

"Ve… Okay… I'll see you…" Feliciano looked down, beginning to get quieter in his speaking. "…tomorrow…" Feliciano wanted to hear Ludwig tell him something, something to keep his mind off of things for a while. Even if Feliciano didn't expect him to say something right now, he wished Ludwig would at least tell him everything was going to be okay or that he would get back to him as soon as he could.

Ludwig stared down at Feliciano, seeing the saddened look on his face and the water beginning to develop in his eyes. No. Ludwig didn't want to make Feliciano cry anymore. He wouldn't be able to stand knowing that he had done that again.

Julius, seeming to sense something, decided to retreat to the kitchen. He figured he could try to listen and watch from there to make sure nothing terrible was going to happen. After all, his grandson had already run off for a few days without saying anything. He didn't want something like that to happen again.

"Feliciano, will you be alright?" Ludwig finally asked.

"I-I'll be okay…" Feliciano shuffled on his feet a bit but didn't look up at him, much to Ludwig's disappointment. Ludwig was silent as he watched Feliciano's nervous and fidgety actions. Ludwig finally leaned down and whispered something in Feliciano's ear, making those chocolate honey eyes widen. However, the minute he looked up, Ludwig had already left.

"Ludwig…" Feliciano softly said, feeling his cheeks beginning to heat up before it engulfed his entire face.

Those words were like music to his ears and his heart skipped several beats at a time as his mind recalled those lyrical words. The German's voice had been gentle, soft and a bit embarrassed. Feliciano could just imaging that embarrassed blush on Ludwig's cheeks and he could see the way the German would nervously look away when he was embarrassed. Feliciano placed a hand over his heart before feeling something cold again his fingers. He glanced down and saw an iron cross necklace laying against his chest, the same one he had always seen Ludwig wear. This made Feliciano's heart skip a beat once again. Ludwig had placed it on him so quickly and delicately that he hadn't even noticed that it was there.

The Italian smiled, folding his fingers around the cold metal. He closed his eyes.

"_I love you, Feliciano."_

Those were the most beautiful words to Feliciano's ears.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**^_^; I lied again you guys. I know... I just can't stop writing this though. I really like it and it's almost done. Not to mention I don't have _a lot_ to do at the moment.**

**So, here's the chapter I promised all of you that was going to be out after the end of the school semester.**

**Just so you know, there's only one more chapter left before the end! I plan on making it a lot longer than I have been doing the rest of them. Hope you will enjoy this chapter and hope that you'll wait for the last chapter to come out!**


	16. Chapter 16: End

The sun hung heavy in the sky, nearing the time of noon. The summer air grazed the skin of everyone who walked out in it. There was no trace of clouds in the sky. The perfect weather for any occasion.

Feliciano looked around, trying to peer through the slight hole that was in the blindfold wrapped around his eyes. He wanted to know where he was going and what was going on, though he was also excited to wait to see what the secret his lover had for him was. Feliciano held on a bit tighter to the large hand clasped around his. It was the same familiar hand he had grown so familiar with over the years. It had been a surprised when he first heard those words of love from the man, but those simple words had made him really happy. He couldn't help but lay his head on the muscular structure underneath it. Feliciano loved those strong arms, the ones that would embrace him tenderly and warmly.

"Feliciano…" the familiar voice softly said as the two came to a halt. The Italian looked around, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Ve… w-what is it Luddy?" he asked, turning his head in the direction of where the German man was. "Are we here?"

"Almost, but you kept looking like you needed a bathroom. Do you?"

Feliciano couldn't help but giggle as his lover asked him that question. He wrapped his arms around Ludwig's arm tighter, still laughing. "Silly Luddy~ I don't need to~"

A blush appeared on Ludwig's cheeks, looking away from the man hanging off his arm. It's not as though he was trying to be embarrassing, it was just a concern of his that he had. "I-I see… Well, let's keep going then."

The two continued to walk, the sun beating down on them. The sun hung heavy in the sky to the point that it was almost noon. The summer air whirled around a bit, giving the heat a cooler sensation.

It had already been seven years since Ludwig and Feliciano first met. The two were now in their second year of college and lived in an apartment together. Feliciano didn't work a job since his grandfather left him and his older brother with millions of money before he died; however, Ludwig did work which helped keep the two from going completely bankrupt (though Feliciano kept saying that it really wasn't necessary). Feliciano was studying the culinary arts while Ludwig was studying accounting and financial investments. Feliciano didn't understand why the German wanted to do something like that, but he couldn't complain if it made him happy.

Lovino and Antonio were married and, already, they were thinking about adopting – much to Feliciano's delight. Neither Lovino nor Antonio went to college but both had good enough jobs where they didn't need to. Both Lovino and Antonio worked at Julius's company, wanting to keep the business alive – though Feliciano still didn't understand what they did there.

Of course, even now Lovino disliked Ludwig and still wouldn't accept Ludwig being with his little brother, but the older Italian also knew he couldn't do anything about it. His little brother's happiness was a lot more important to him than any grudge he could hold again Ludwig. It irritated him a lot, but he knew he had to try and accept it (though he was still struggling with the accepting part).

"Ve~ Luddy, Luddy~?" Feliciano chimed, turning his head towards the German, even if he couldn't see him. "What are we doing~? Tell me, te… Huh?" Feliciano could head noise in the distance of the direction they were headed in. Something must have been going on for them to be talking so much. He couldn't understand their words since the blindfold was slightly covering his ears, but he _could_ hear that they were excited.

Feliciano looked around again, trying to figure out where they were right now. He wanted to see and feel the same excitement everyone else was. Feliciano continued to feel himself being led closer and closer to the noise. Before he knew it, the darkness that had once been enveloping his eyes was finally revealed to the light again.

The Italian blinked, regaining his sight once more before they widened two times their size. Feliciano felt his words catch in his throat as he saw what was around him. The place he had always loved to paint. The place that he was finally able to confess to Ludwig. The entire building had been fixed up. The windows were replaced with glass the beams were redone along with everything else. Feliciano felt his heart skip a beat as he stared at the sight around him before something caught his eye.

He blinked, turning his head towards what he saw. Tears formed in his eyes as he realized that, in this new place, he saw the painting he had loved so much. The painting he had been working on three years before. Now, it was framed and displayed next to another important painting by another artist, which Feliciano noticed was Van Gogh.

"L…Ludwig…" Feliciano softly said, his words catching in his throat again. He glanced up Ludwig who only gave a small smile to him before the Italian looked back. Feliciano slowly pulled away from the burly man's arm and slowly made his way towards the picture.

Feliciano remembered the lines that he drew in the familiar shapes that he knew, the paint that he placed upon it. Feliciano stopped in front of it, feeling water filling his eyes. He looked over the picture, seeing the three silhouettes that were present. The three were facing away from the people who looked at it. The colors were beautifully placed upon the area around it to help focus on the people in the painting who were all moving towards different directions.

As his eyes fell down, he saw the small plate with his name. _'Feliciano Vargas. Title: All paths part.'_ Feliciano stared at his painting before looking over at Ludwig who stood right behind him.

"L-Luddy… h-how… I-I mean…" Feliciano couldn't find the right words to express what he felt right now. The overwhelming emotion was a little too much, almost to the point that he wanted to weep with joy.

"I noticed how you always sighed, almost seeming like you wanted to put this picture somewhere special," Ludwig replied as he took the Italian's hands into his. "I figure this might be a nice place to put it." He leaned down so his lips were at Feliciano's ear. "I thought it'd be nice to place it in the place that was special to us."

Ludwig stood back up, staring down into pools of amber. A deep hue of red quickly spread onto the Italian's cheeks, making him look down in a rather cute and shy way. Ludwig couldn't help but smile a bit more because of this. It was rather rare for him to see Feliciano acting shy like this, but he liked to see it. Ludwig loved all the actions Feliciano made in attempts to do things or to impress him. It were those small actions that made Ludwig the happiest.

"Y-You… really thought I wanted something like this?" Feliciano asked, almost in a mumble but he wasn't upset with the German or anything like that. He was just clearly embarrassed by it.

"I did." Feliciano softly giggled and buried his face into Ludwig's broad chest, causing the German to blush very slightly. Ludwig, even still, got a bit embarrassed when he and Feliciano showed affection in public. It wasn't because he didn't love the Italian, he just felt a bit uncomfortable with it sometimes. However, he didn't feel the need to pull away from the Italian this time.

"Ve~ I'm glad…~" Feliciano murmured against Ludwig's chest, making his words a tad harder to hear. But Ludwig could hear him. "I… was actually scared to try to put my art anywhere…"

"You shouldn't be scared. You're a good artist."

Feliciano giggled again. "Grazie…~" The Italian's face slowly looked back up at Ludwig, his chest resting still on the broad chest of his lover. "I'm glad you did it though…~ Now everyone came see it~" Another blush appeared on the Italian's cheeks as his hands began to fumble with the back of Ludwig's shirt.

"I'm glad then," Ludwig replied, placing a very quick yet loving kiss upon Feliciano's lips. "I want you to be happy."

Feliciano's cheeks grew a darker color at hearing those words. It made his heart swell with joy and made him a bit restless. The Italian couldn't control his giggling and he couldn't help but continue to glance over to look his picture. It was in the perfect spot and he was happy about it. In the spot where all his art supplies used to be and the building is now an art museum. The place he had finally confessed to Ludwig and the place that they had kissed for the first time.

This building, though now something new, would always be Feliciano and Ludwig's special place. A place they would remember for the rest of their lives. A place where the love they had for each other slowly began to unfold to what it was today.

0-0-0

_March 16__th__,_

_I cannot express how much things have been through these past years. All the experiences, all the sweetness. Everything. I will remember them as long as I live. Even if the world were to stop spinning on its axis or if the stars were to fall out of the sky, I will love you forever._

_Even though I never found that boy I knew as a child, I found a new person to love with all my heart. I will never forget that boy though. I will never forget the feeling of the first love I had and I will keep it with me for the rest of my life, and I will live the life that I have now as one that will forever be in my heart. It will be a blossoming love that will never fade or wither down to nothing, of this I know well._

_Forever my love will be for the one person my life that I ever wanted. The attention, the warmth. Everything from this one person. Everything I will give this person. Forever, and ever until I cannot love them anymore._

_Forever I will love you…_

_Forever…_

_And ever…_

_And ever…_

_I love you, my love. I love you forever more._

- Last journal entry of Feliciano Vargas -

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**And there you have it. The last chapter of this story. Originally I was going to make it a lot longer, but it didn't turn out that way ^^;**

**Oh well! I loved the way it turned out anyways~ X3**

**Thank you all for your support in this story and I hope you will read my future stories (whether it be fanfiction or not).**


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